


Two Words Can Change Everything

by elle_delajoie



Category: Glee
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Kurtofsky10years, M/M, S2+ rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27353899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elle_delajoie/pseuds/elle_delajoie
Summary: - 10 Years of Kurtofsky -Chapter 1 - Day One -  Never Been Kissed RedoChapter 2 - Day Three - Original PlotChapter 3 - Day Five - CollegeChapter 4 - Day Seven - A WeddingChapter 5 - Day Eight - In Ten YearsKurt's reaction in the locker room diverges from canon and sets off a chain reaction that changes the dynamic of his relationship with Dave, altering the course of both of their lives.
Relationships: Kurt Hummel & David Karofsky, Kurt Hummel/David Karofsky
Comments: 55
Kudos: 104
Collections: Kurtofsky Week - Ten Year Anniversary





	1. Day One-Never Been Kissed Redo

Kurt stopped long enough to grab his phone off the floor and shove it in his pocket. He turned back to follow Dave. He saw him head into the locker room, which was one of his least favorite places in the building, but he went in determined. He shoved the door back hard. "HEY! I'm TALKING to you!"

"The girls' locker room is next door," Dave said gruffly.

"What is your problem?"

"EXCUSE me?"

"What are you so scared of?"

"Besides you sneaking in here to peek at my junk?"

"Right. Because you think I'm stupid enough not to know how to access porn if I want to look at good-looking dicks? Why would I bother risking getting the crap kicked out of me to look at a bunch of Lima Losers' 4-inch, subpar dicks?"

"You watch what you're saying. You probably don't even have one."

"That's creative." Kurt rolled his eyes. "You think you're the first one to call me dickless or a girl? Surely you have a better comeback than that."

"Don't push me, Hummel."

"Or what? Go ahead and hit me." Kurt stood his ground. "You can't punch the gay out of me anymore than I can punch the ignoramus out of you."

Dave lunged at him, but instead of punching him, he grabbed for him to kiss him.

Kurt kneed him in the groin.

Dave doubled over in pain.

"Oh, no you don't. That's reserved for someone who takes me out for dinner and isn't afraid to be seen with me in public."

Coach Beiste walked into the area. "Somethin' I can help the two of you with? I heard the hollerin'."

"Oh, no, Coach Beiste. We're fine now. Karofsky here, apologized and feels really bad for how he's been treating me and told me that he's joining the Glee Club like Puck and Finn and that he's going to do everything in his power to clean up his act and be a decent human being."

She narrowed her eyes and glared at Kurt, but he didn't waver under her scrutiny. "Is that so, Karofsky?"

"Yeah." He managed to stand back up and wipe his eyes. "That's so."

"Well, that's the best news I've heard all day. I'll drop by Glee this afternoon just to make sure you follow through on that commitment." She turned to Kurt. "Hummel, I want to see you in my office. I'm gonna to see what it would take to get you back kickin' for the team. Move it."

"Yes, coach." Kurt walked through the locker room to her office and sat down to wait for her.

She stayed behind and talked to Dave for a minute. "That kid's mom's been dead for eight years and his dad just came out of a coma two weeks ago. He needs crap from you like he needs a razorback for a pet. You've been on my radar since the day I showed up here. Six weeks in and you've been nothing but a bully with a bad attitude. This change of heart better be sincere or you're off the team and no hockey either. The reign of terror of athletes bullying students is over. Clean up your act or clean out your locker."

"Yes, coach."

She walked off to her office.

Dave grabbed the rest of the stuff he had gone to get and slammed his locker shut, smacking his palm against it. "Fuck my life." He grabbed his bag and stormed off to class.

Coach Beiste opened the door to her office and closed it behind her. She sat in her desk chair and propped her chin on her hands. She looked at Kurt intently. "That was a bold move in there, lyin' to my face. I saw what he did to you in the hallway before you followed him in. I went around the other hall and came in from this side. I heard what both of you said. All I can assume is that he tried to kiss you and you put a stop to it."

Kurt nodded.

"What are you going to do with this information?"

"Obviously, I just used it to make him join Glee Club. Not that I want him there, but it seemed fitting since he's done nothing but harass all of us. And joining seemed to put a stop to Puck's and Finn's bullying ways. I usually sit with the girls anyway. Were you serious about me being the kicker again?"

"I could be. What would make you consider it?"

"No football practice for one."

"I'm not sure I can do that, but go on."

"I won't wear the letterman jacket to school unless we're doing some kind of pep rally and sitting together."

"That's doable."

"Privacy stalls in the showers."

"That costs money."

"I'm aware. Do a carwash. Sell candy bars. Otherwise, I'll just need an escort to the stage to change in the guys' dressing room. I'll go home and shower."

"And away games?"

"I don't know. I didn't wake up today thinking of ways to rejoin the football team."

"I get that. How will you improve if you don't practice?"

"Make Finn and Puck practice with me. Finn can retrieve the kicks and throw them back to Puck for throwing practice."

"That could work."

"The team won't be pleased. Even when I won that one game last year, they didn't welcome me. I ended up quitting because it was an uncomfortable situation."

"I don't know much about your previous coach, but I'm not a pushover and what I say goes. If I tell them to lay off, they will or they'll find themselves off the team. Just like Karofsky. Be here after Glee today with the rest of the team. I'll write you a helluva recommendation letter for college next fall."

"And you'll keep Karofsky's secret."

"That too. I don't out people. He'll come out when he's good and ready to. That might not be for 10 years, but that's his choice, not mine." She pulled out a pass pad, wrote his name on it, and signed it for him to go to class late.

"Thanks for not calling my bluff and having my back."

"Sure thing. Get to class."

* * *

Kurt arrived for Glee Club first because he wanted to be able to get a seat in the back on the side most of the girls sat on. He waited impatiently for Dave to show up. Mr. Schuester came in and went to his office for a few minutes. Rachel stopped speaking to Finn and stared at Dave when he stepped inside the room. Everyone else fell silent, which caught Mr. Schue's attention. He stepped back into the classroom.

"Come on in, Dave."

"NO WAY!" Rachel practically screeched as she stood up and pointed at Dave.

"Rachel, sit down. This is a club. Dave is welcome to join _after_ he auditions."

Rachel did as she was told with as much disdainful diva flair as she could muster. She sat resolutely straight-backed and glared at Dave as he stood in front of the piano. Coach Beiste stood in the doorway to Mr. Schue's office, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

The violinist began to play and Brad joined in. They played an abbreviated version of the intro and Dave began to sing.

_When I'm down,  
And oh, my soul so weary,  
When troubles come,  
And my heart burdened be,  
Then I am still,  
And wait here in the silence.  
'Til you come,  
And sit a while with me._

_You raise me up,  
So I can stand on mountains.  
You raise me up,  
To walk on stormy seas.  
I am strong,  
When I am on your shoulders.  
You raise me up,  
To more than I can be._

The music faded and ended.

"That's great, Dave. It's nice to welcome a baritone to our group. You can sit wherever you'd like."

Coach Beiste stepped inside and sat in the seat closest to the office door.

Rachel put her hand up.

Mr. Schuester took a deep breath and ignored her. "Yesterday we had the girls' amazing mash-up and I'm looking forward to the guys' presentation tomorrow. Coach Beiste and Miss Pillsbury will be here again tomorrow. They'll give us their verdict after the guys sing." He looked at Dave. "You'll be excused this week because you just joined, but you'll need to join in on projects starting next week."

Dave nodded.

"So, anyone else who wants to sing for us today can do that. And the other thing I need everyone to do is to make three suggestions for songs for Sectionals and write them on a sheet of paper and put them in this box. I'll look through all of them and present the six to nine best choices for the group and we'll start discussing them next week. So, who wants to sing for us today?"

Kurt stood and moved down front. He put the sheet music on the piano. Brad nodded and began to play. Unlike Demi Lovato, Kurt sang out clear and strong. His voice did not waver. He looked around the room and made eye contact with each person as he sang.

… _  
Do you have to make me feel like  
There is nothing left of me?_

_You can take everything I have.  
You can break everything I am.  
Like I'm made of glass,  
Like I'm made of paper._

_Go on and try to tear me down.  
I will be rising from the ground,  
Like a skyscraper.  
Like a skyscraper.  
…_

_Would it make you feel better to watch me bleed?  
All my windows still are broken,  
But I'm standing on my feet.  
…_

_Go on and try to tear me down.  
I will be rising from the ground,  
Like a skyscraper.  
Like a skyscraper._

Everyone clapped for him when he finished. He grabbed his music and sat back down.

Tina said, "Great job!" as he walked past her.

Mercedes gave him a high five as he sat down.

Dave was intentional in his lack of eye contact with Kurt, staring at the chair in front of him.

Rachel raised her hand and sang a song from a musical that no one but Kurt recognized. Everyone clapped politely when she finished, most of them clapping more for it being over than how it had been presented.

"Well, that's it for today. Both Coach Sue and Coach Beiste asked me to end early for team meetings. Don't forget to write out your song suggestions and drop them in this box tomorrow."

Kurt stopped by his locker on the way to the locker room. With trepidation, he opened the door and went to sit on the bench closest to the white board.

"Aww, hell no!" Azimio grunted out when he saw Kurt as he came in.

"Adams, have a seat," Coach said firmly as she approached the group from behind. "Hummel is here at my request."

Azimio didn't say anything.

"What was that, Adams?"

"Yes, coach."

"Everyone sit down and listen up. I've been through your first six weeks grade reports this afternoon. Effective immediately, each of you will either attend two hours of tutorin' each week or you will provide two hours a week of tutorin' to someone in this group. I have pinpointed your lowest grade and made note of the highest grades as well. I will post the roster of who is tutorin' and which one of you will be gettin' tutored by that person. There will be no complaints. Am I clear?"

A round of "Yes, Coach Beiste" was heard.

"Now, Hummel, here has agreed to rejoin the team."

Several groans were heard, along with "Not again." and "No way."

"Enough," she bellowed. "Langanthal is more suited to being halfback _if_ he can learn to catch better. He's fast on his feet, but his kickin' skills are marginal at best. We can win more games with a good kicker."

She began to hand out the papers she had been holding.

"You'll find this to be quite clear and straightforward. You need to take these home and bring them back tomorrow with your parents' or guardians' signatures on them."

One of the guys spoke up. "A non-bullying contract? What is this?"

"You just read it out loud. It's exactly what it says it is. It delineates all the types of behavior that I expect to NEVER see you participate in. And it explains the Titans football team code of conduct. You are leaders in this school, not the mob. Leaders are respected because of their skills and talent, not because they intimidate people smaller than them through physical violence, bullying, or intimidation. If I see a slushie in your hands, you'll be runnin' extra laps. Those things are devoid of nutritional value and they're not gonna to be used as ways to humiliate your classmates anymore. My number is on that paper. If your parents have questions about the information, they can give me a call."

More groaning could be heard.

"If I don't receive the signed forms at the beginnin' of practice tomorrow, you will _not_ practice. And you will _not_ play in the game Friday night. No arguments, no exceptions. In light of Karofsky's absolute need to be the top offender at this school, he joined the Glee Club this afternoon since joinin' that club has successfully reformed the previous top offenders. He was the first. Adams, you're second on my list. Knock of the bullyin' or you'll be singin' show tunes with the Glee Club too."

"No way, coach. I can't do that."

"Then I expect to see that paper with your signature and your parents' before practice tomorrow. And in case any of you have some insane notion of forgin' those, I made phone calls to your parents and guardians already informin' them of the importance of the form bein' returned tomorrow. Y'all are free to leave."

The group got up and started milling around.

"Hummel, to my office to collect your uniform."

"Yes, coach." He went back to her office to wait.

"Adams!"

He turned around. "Yes, coach?"

"If you think I'm jokin', try me. I'm not to be trifled with. I told you all that I wouldn't put up with insubordination. Get your head in the game. If you want scouted, you can't be sittin' home watching football on TV. Capisce?"

"Yeah, coach. I got it. No slushies. No bullying. Make good grades."

"Good. You've got the skills, Azimio, but you're never gonna to get scouted when none of your teachers will vouch for you. I have to be honest too. Right now, you're not a good team player. Change that and you might change your future."

He nodded.

"You can go. I gotta deal with Hummel."

"No one wants him here, you know. No disrespect meant."

"I know that. I'm not stupid. The thing is we need a kicker who can make field goals more than once in a blue moon. We may be winnin' most of our games now, but if you want us to make it into the playoffs, we need a kicker with a better average than that. That one point makes all the difference sometimes. You better help see to it that Hummel feels welcomed this time around."

"Right," he said sarcastically.

"I mean it, Adams. You might help keep the other team from sackin' Hudson, but unless you know someone who can kick better than Hummel, he's all we got right now. Langanthal obviously isn't cuttin' it. Now, go on. Get your parents to sign that form after y'all read it."

* * *

"You know I really don't want to do this. And no offense, but a single well-written reference letter next year doesn't really make this seem that much more attractive."

"Karofsky won't bother you anymore. With you on the team, I can make sure that none of them bother you anymore. The tutorin' will look good on your college applications too. Have you heard of PFLAG?"

"I have. I know it's not polite to ask, but are you gay?"

"You're right it's not polite to ask, but my behavior is unusual for a teacher, I'm sure. I'm not gay, but my brother is. Times are changin', but Lima's not keepin' up with the times. I've observed for six weeks and worked behind the scenes. I needed some things in place before I could make many changes. Sue has made it very difficult for me here, and now she's the principal.

"She's difficult period. After observing for two years, I've seen no pattern to her behavior whatsoever. I've decided that her strategy to staying on top depends upon no one being able to predict her behavior. It is generally self-serving, but she has bouts of kindness. Unpredictability is her only predictable behavior.

"That actually makes sense in a completely illogical way."

Kurt nodded. "I'm currently a benched Cheerio. I have no idea what she's written on the roster to keep me active, but when I tried to quit at the beginning of the year, she refused to accept my resignation."

"She tried to disband the football team before y'all arrived. She backed off when I asked her who the Cheerios would cheer for without a football team."

"Right."

She changed the subject. "I can't start a group myself. A student has to start the group and find a willin' sponsor."

"Oh." It dawned on Kurt what she was hinting at. "Coach Beiste, will you sponsor a chapter of PFLAG?"

"I'd love to. Thanks for askin'." She winked at him. "I've already filled out all of the charter papers and everything. I'm sure you can get the Glee Club to join, and by extension, that means Karofsky will have to join."

"Did you know?"

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about, Hummel."

He nodded. "So, is there something I need to sign to officially start a PFLAG chapter as the student leader?"

She pulled a folder off her shelf.

* * *

The next afternoon, Dave sat by himself on the other side of the piano while the guys performed their mash-up. When they finished singing, everyone clapped for them.

"That was great, guys. Go ahead and change back while our judges confer in my office."

The guys left for the dressing room. Miss Pillsbury and Coach Beiste went into Mr. Schuester's office and closed the door. By the time the guys got back, the girls had moved the chairs back to the raised steps and everyone had resumed their usual seating patterns. Dave got up and sat in the top row down near the band end of the room. The guys took their seats, and about a minute later, Coach Beiste and Miss Pillsbury came out of the office and stood down front.

Coach Beiste was the one to speak. "We enjoy both performances. They were both really good, but we considered the challenge was for the girls to do guys' song and for the guys to do girls' song. We were told the more opposite the performance, the better. So, with that in mind, we've chosen the girls as the winners. The guys jackets were nice, as were their songs, but they didn't feel feminine. Yes, they sang songs that had been recorded by women, but their performance just lacked a feminine touch. Perhaps some ballad love songs would have gotten you farther in the opposite direction of your usual choices."

Miss Pillsbury took it from that point. "So, congratulations to the girls who really wowed us with their leather jackets and rock music."

The girls clapped and cheered for themselves.

"I'd like the girls to come on down and collect their prizes."

"Wait, woah," Puck said. "No one said anything about prizes."

"It was a contest, was it not?" Miss Pillsbury asked.

"It was," Artie replied. "What did the girls win?"

Santana was the first to take a slip of paper from Miss Pillsbury. She looked at it. "A free large smoothie from the Dairy Barn," she said, boastfully.

"Aww, man," Finn said. "I love the Dairy Barn."

"Who doesn't?" Puck asked.

"I haven't been there," Sam said.

Quinn winked at him. "Maybe we can go together. They even have this low-carb ice dream soft serve." She sat down next to him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled back. "Really?"

She nodded and leaned over and put her head on his shoulder.

"Sounds great," Sam said.

Kurt leaned out of his chair and looked towards the guys. "Those certificates could have been ours if you had listened to my ideas instead of sending me off to Dalton to spy."

"Dude, keep it down," Artie scolded.

Puck asked, "What did you find out, anyway?"

"I went two weeks ago, and you're asking now?"

"Better late than never," Artie said.

"Well, they're going to kick our butts if we don't actually get started on our songs. They are a well-oiled group of good-looking guys in prep school uniforms who have a lead singer backed up by a vocal band."

"They're a cappella?' Artie asked.

"Mmm hmm. And amazing. On key, like 8-part harmony – with an awesome beatboxer."

"We're dead," Puck said.

"We've still got time," Rachel added her two cents and joined in the conversation.

Kurt agreed. "We do, but not if we keep horsing around with in-class competitions and showboating by you requesting to sing a solo every time we meet."

"Fine. I'll limit myself to once a week."

"Amen," Santana said.

Mr. Schue clapped his hands after he finally quit talking to the other two adults. "Listen up. I need you to put your song suggestions in this box before you leave. I'll see all of you next Monday."

Kurt got up quickly and handed his signed form to Coach Beiste before she had time to leave the room.

"You need to come to practice today. I have the tutoring assignments posted and you need to show me that you can still kick."

Kurt sighed. "I can't stay today. I needed to know ahead of time. I have to go work at the shop."

"I'll walk you out."

Kurt went back to his seat and grabbed his bag and followed her out into the hallway.

"Is that why you said you can't come to practices?"

"Yeah. I can't just leave my dad in a lurch. I had no intention of joining the football team and my dad's only been out of the hospital for a couple of weeks. I need to take up the slack for him not being able to work right now. "

"I get it. I knew about him bein' sick and all, but I didn't think about how you might be the one taking up the slack."

"I looked last night. Even if we make it to the end of the playoffs, that's just six weeks of games. But my dad can't go back to work for another month, and even then, it's light duty."

She put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I'll write you a pass to miss third period tomorrow. You can come to my office. We'll go out and you can do some practicin'. I'll look through everyone's schedules tonight and pull two people whose grades are good enough to withstand missing class."

"Thanks, coach. I really have to go. I have to close the shop and get home to make my dad dinner. And eventually get around to my homework."

She nodded. "You'll need cleats."

"I still have mine from last year." He hurried off towards the parking lot.

* * *

The next morning, Kurt got a pass at the beginning of third period to report to the locker room. He quickly changed into uniform and went to Coach Beiste's office.

"Lookin' good, Hummel. Let's go see if you can kick."

He followed her outside where Mike and Dave were waiting. The four of them went out on the field. Coach Beiste sent Mike down by the goal posts and had Dave hold the ball for Kurt.

After Kurt kicked the first time, Dave spoke in a low voice. "I'm sorry about the other day."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"You don't have to be a bitch about it you know? I'm trying here. I really am sorry. You have to realize that I couldn't risk anyone finding out that I'm 'you know'. My dad would probably be okay with it eventually, but not my mom. There's no way she would accept me."

Kurt finished his stretches. "As in, what?"

"She'd send me some place to 'cure' me."

"Oh," Kurt was speechless. "Your song the other day was actually surprisingly good. I never took you for a Josh Groban fan."

"Yeah, well there's a lot you don't know about me."

"Touché. The same is probably true for you about me."

"Unlikely." He placed the ball for Kurt to kick it.

Kurt backed up and set himself up for the kick and followed through. The ball went through the goal posts, off to the left a bit instead of right through the center, but it went through. He adjusted his stance a bit and kicked two more times, making it through the goal posts more towards the center and a little higher. He kicked once more, which was better than the previous three. They moved back 10 yards while they waited for Mike to bring the balls back.

"What makes you think I don't know anything about you?"

"I'm not just a stereotype," he smarted back.

"Look, can you lay off the attitude? I'm trying. And I know that you're not just a stereotype. And yes, I know what that means. I know that you work at your dad's shop fixing cars. I know that you could fight back if you wanted to. And honest to God, I don't want to 'watch you bleed' like the line in that song you sang, but it did make me think."

Kurt did a few more stretches and didn't respond.

Mike dropped the footballs and ran back down to the end zone.

"Look, I know I've been an ass, but I saw you last year dressing like – I don't even know, a hick, a Lima Loser like the rest of us. And you dated Brittany. I'm not the only one who's tried blending in."

"Yeah, but I didn't shove anyone into lockers or break anyone's phone trying to be someone I'm not."

"I have some anger control issues."

"You don't say?" Kurt said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

"You really are a bitch sometimes, you know?"

"Oh, I know. I reserve it for the people who treat me like crap mostly."

"Yeah, I deserve that. I know. But now I have to be nice or I get kicked off the team. I don't have to pretend to hate you anymore."

"What?"

"Just kick the damn ball before Beiste comes over here to see why you stopped."

"Right." Kurt set up and kicked four times in a row again, managing to kick the ball through three out of four times.

They scooted back 10 more yards. This time, he only made two out of the four attempts.

Beiste moved from the sidelines to the field to talk to him.

"Believe what you want, but I'm glad I joined Glee. It looked like fun, but I could never get up the nerve to join on my own and face the bullying. I know. I can dish it out, but I can't take it. That's why you're stronger than I am."

Mike came back with the footballs about the time Beiste made it over to them. She sent Mike and Dave back to class.

"Well, we need to make sure we're as close to the end zone as possible tonight, but that was some pretty fancy kickin' for someone who hasn't done it in a year. And a far cry better than Langanthal who's been practicin' all season. You're up tonight. Show up in your uniform. You can leave without showerin'. You missed it yesterday, but we're havin' a car wash this Saturday mornin'. You're excused from attendin' since you've gotta work. I'm workin' on gettin' the Titans Booster Club to match the funds we raise. I'm gonna get those doors you want."

"Thanks."

"Go change and get to lunch."

"Yes, coach."

* * *

Monday at lunch, Kurt met with Dave in Coach Beiste's office during lunch. She ordered a pizza and left two-thirds of it in her office with some drinks.

"This is obviously a set up," Dave said.

Kurt sighed in agreement. "Obviously." He took a slice of pizza and started to eat it.

Dave joined him. "I don't need a French tutor. I have a B in French."

"I don't need a math tutor. I have an A- in Algebra 2." He rolled his eyes. "We're setting up a PFLAG chapter. I want you to come. It stood for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, but now it's a group for all LGBTQ+ people and their friends and families."

"Just kill me know."

"Stop saying that. I'm giving you a heads up so that you can think of whatever reason you need to, so your parents won't be upset or whatever. I'm going to get everyone in Glee Club to join, so you'll have to join or look like a homophobe, which his what you're supposed to be overcoming by us working together."

"I'm not a homophobe."

"It's actually possible to be homophobic and gay. It's internalized homophobia from dealing with the crap that society says about us all the time. We begin to hate ourselves for not being able to be what society wants us to be, which is straight."

"Did you ever hate yourself?"

"Not exactly for being gay, but for being too chicken to tell my dad. I only came out to him about a year ago. I knew he wouldn't kick me out, but I didn't know whether he would just shun and ignore me after he knew. But he said he had known since I was young, which was pretty frustrating, truth be told. I struggled for years not knowing how he'd respond, so I kept it to myself. If he had broached the subject, even casually, it would have taken a lot of stress off our relationship."

Dave grabbed another slice of pizza. "I think my dad will be supportive in the you're-my-kid-I-won't-kick-you-out way, but he'll be disappointed because being gay pretty much ruins my chances of playing football or hockey in college or professionally."

Kurt looked confused.

"There are no out guys in professional sports. I won't be welcomed."

"Oh, I didn't realize."

"I figured not since you're not into sports. Why did you agree to join again?"

"Honestly?"

Dave nodded.

"Because Coach Beiste agreed to sponsor the PFLAG group. In a school of about 600, somewhere between 30-60 students aren't straight. Now that I know you aren't, that makes two that I know of. With the bullying stopped and a PFLAG group, maybe a few of the other 28-58 will feel more at ease to come out. Maybe not even this year or next year, but if we can get some of the freshmen and sophomores to join, maybe in a few years, it won't be like it has been."

They finished up the pizza. And Dave folded the box up and put it on top of the trashcan.

"What are we going to do now?"

Kurt said, "Well, we can talk, or not. Or I can go over something from your French lesson. The only reason I had an A- at midterm was because I hadn't turned in all of my make up work yet, but I have now."

Dave pulled his French book out. "I guess we could go over the vocabulary for this week."

"Sure. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Why did you try to kiss me?"

Dave flushed. "Fishing for compliments?"

"What? No. I just don't understand."

"For someone so smart, you sure are dense." He opened his book to the list of words he needed to memorize.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I tried to kiss you for the obvious reason that most people try to kiss someone."

"I still don't get it. Why did you think I'd let you?"

"I wasn't really thinking it through clearly at the time, you know? You get me all hot under the collar when you start bitching at me, which is something I hadn't intended on you finding out. Fuck my life. Why can't I just sit here and keep my mouth shut?"

Kurt was chuckling silently. "You think it's hot when I bitch at you? That explains so much." He didn't quite manage to keep his laughter down. "Oh, my God. You irritate me to get me to bitch at you and you get off on that while everyone else thinks you hate me. It's a win/win for you."

Dave's blush grew deeper. "I'm really sorry I shoved you so hard the other day. I forget my strength, plus I'm used to shoving people in pads."

"I get that, but that hurt like hell. I have bruises on my shoulder and upper arm and my phone screen is broken. I'm fresh out of money to have it replaced again, so I'm trying to keep it hidden from my dad's view. I'll have to wait until I get paid two weeks from Friday. My dad makes me save half of what I make and I have to use the other half to pay for my car insurance and my 'frivolities', as he calls them."

Dave raised an eyebrow.

"My special skincare stuff, clothing, my data on my phone, stuff like that. I'm spreading the new screen out across two paychecks. And avoiding doing any shopping or spending of any sort. Why did you knock my phone out of my hands?"

"You looked so fucking happy reading whatever it said. I just lost it. I'm so miserable 24/7 that seeing you out and proud and smiling at your phone just pissed me off. I'm sorry. I'll pay to repair your screen, but I'll have to give you the money in installments. My parents give me $30 a week allowance. I'll cut back to spending $10 a week and give you the other $20. I can't get a job. They won't let me, but they pay for my insurance and my phone."

"Sure. I need to get it fixed ASAP. I can't wait because I don't want to explain to my dad what happened. He doesn't need the stress. He thinks school is fine."

He pulled his wallet out and took out a $20 bill. "Here, this is for this week. I'll bring another $20 on Monday."

"Thanks. I've spent hundreds of dollars replacing clothes and books. None of you ever considered the damage you did. Humiliation is one thing, but ruining our clothes and whatever we're holding is costly."

"You're right. No one thinks about that. Maybe after the car wash, we should do something else to help cover the cost of the damages we've caused."

"That would be amazing. It really would. We can talk to Coach Beiste about it."

* * *

The next week, they got no closer to having songs chosen for Sectionals than they had the week of the boys versus girls competition because Mr. Schue was out sick. They did have quite a bit of fun with Miss Holiday, but ultimately, their fun didn't make any progress towards being ready for Sectionals.

Dave and Kurt met again in Coach Beiste's office during lunch for their tutoring sessions on Monday and Wednesday.

Kurt practiced with Finn and Puck before the team practice started on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

Thursday evening, Kurt finally told Burt that he had rejoined the football team. Burt went to the game that Friday night. Kurt kicked two field goals, like he had the week before. The Titans won 14-6. Burt was surprised, but excited to see Kurt back out on the field.

* * *

The next Monday, Puck showed up with Lauren in tow, saying that she saved his life. Apparently, they were dating. She was willing to join Glee to even out the numbers. They finally got started on their songs for Sectionals that afternoon.

Tuesday morning, Burt and Carole showed up and found Kurt and had him take them to Finn. They announced that they were engaged and wanted to get married as soon as possible. Burt was planning to take them all to Waikiki for a honeymoon.

When they got home that evening, they went out to dinner to celebrate and Burt drove them all to a house he thought would be perfect for the four of them. The realtor was there, waiting to take them on a tour.

Kurt was surprised at the suddenness of everything, but felt much better about the whole situation than he had the spring before when his dad had been determined to move Carole and Finn into their small house.

Kurt did all of the planning for the wedding which took place less than two weeks later.

* * *

"Hey, Kurt," Blaine said, as he approached from across the lobby where the choirs were standing around waiting to be let back into the dressing rooms for Sectionals.

"Oh, hey."

"Long time, no see. Well, you know what I mean."

Kurt nodded. "I've been really busy. I planned my dad's wedding last weekend. I also rejoined the football team and we're heading into the playoffs. We also have mandatory tutoring two hours a week – either providing it or getting help. I still have my job and homework. I've also started a PFLAG group. Our football coach is the sponsor."

"So, things are looking up then, it sounds like."

"Definitely."

"Kurt!" Dave hollered from across the room. Everyone had followed Mr. Schuester except for him.

"I gotta go. Good luck."

"You too."

* * *

Three hours later, the New Directions were heading towards their bus.

"Regionals, here we come!" Finn shouted and pumped his fist into the air.


	2. Day Three-Original Plot

Finn pumped his fist up into the air. "Nationals, here we come!" before he got onto the school bus to head back to Lima.

"I can hardly believe it," Kurt said, as he checked the dates on his phone. "We're going to New York City in eight weeks. Eight!"

Dave was sitting next to him in the seat. "I can't believe that I am going to New York City to sing in a show choir competition."

Kurt elbowed him. "Hey, you said that you like being in Glee Club."

"I do, surprisingly. But it's certainly something that if you had to me I would be doing a year ago, I would have said you were high."

"Yeah." Kurt's enthusiasm dropped a bit. "I'm sure you would have."

"Hey. I'm sorry. Look, you know that I really do like being in the group. I didn't mean to be a downer. Actually, I meant it the opposite way. Things have changed so much for the better since last year. I hated myself back then, and I don't anymore."

Kurt elbowed him again and smiled. "I'm glad. Last year's version of you was a jackass. I like this year's upgrade to smartass."

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Are you going to try out for baseball?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow and looked at Dave like he had lost his mind. "Me, in stirrup pants? No thank you."

Dave burst out laughing. "The pants would keep you from trying out?"

"That and the fact that baseball is even more boring than football."

"So, the truth comes out. You think football is boring."

"That has never been a secret and it's the truth."

"All of the guys on this bus are on the football team."

"I'll prove something." He stood up. "I want to take a poll," he said loud enough for all of the guys to hear. "Listen carefully. If football wasn't a multi-million dollar sport in America and being a football player didn't get you social status, would you still play?"

Puck said, "So, like, if being a football player wasn't cool?"

"Yeah, exactly. If playing football made you as popular as joining the chess club, meaning that it made you unpopular to play it. Would you still play?"

Puck was the first to answer, "Nah. No way, dude. No way. Practices take way too long, and just no."

Sam said, "You mean like no one comes to watch?"

"Zero people watch, except maybe your families and your girlfriend."

"I don't think so," Sam said.

"Hands up, if you love football enough to play it if it made you unpopular."

No hands went up.

Kurt sat down.

Finn spoke up. "I'd play basketball though, even if no one came to watch, but not if it made me super unpopular."

Puck said, "I'd play baseball still, even if no one watched."

"I'd just lift weights and do cardio training," Sam said. "I want to be in shape, but I wouldn't play a sport that made me unpopular."

Kurt stood up back up. "Yet, here we all are – part of a club that makes us unpopular. Proof that the power of music is stronger than peer pressure."

Santana chimed in. "Kurt's got a point. I wouldn't be a Cheerio if it didn't get me what I wanted."

Brittany said, "I would because I love to dance and be excited and make people happy."

Everyone began talking in small groups again.

Dave said, "You made your point. People play for other reasons than liking the sport they play. Here's another question. Would you go watch someone you were friends with play a sport you don't like?"

"Yeah, sure. I'd go to support a friend. I'd still be inclined to make fun of their stirrup pants if it was baseball they played, though."

Dave shook his head and chuckled. He leaned forward and propped his forehead on his hands.

Kurt matched his position.

"I really do have to wonder about whether you're gay or not if you're looking at the stirrups, though. Those pans leave very little to the imagination. I would have thought that fit jocks with nice asses in tight pants would have been right up your alley."

Kurt elbowed him, but not too hard.

"I'd have to say that those socks I've seen that go up to the thigh and then girls wear super short skirts with them… Those are as stupid looking as stirrup pants."

Kurt spoke very quietly so that no one else could possibly hear him. "I think you haven't put enough thought into why straight guys think they're hot."

Dave shook his head, obviously lost.

"Ease of access without requiring the girl to be undressed or cold."

"No way."

"I won't say who I overheard it from, but I did hear someone on this bus say it."

"Well, now that you've got me thinking about it, you'd look good in some of those with a short skirt instead of the long ones you wore last year."

Kurt moved swiftly and pushed Dave out of his seat into the aisle, where he barely managed to not land on his butt.

"What'd you say to him?" Puck asked, laughing at Dave.

Kurt spoke up. "He said that Finn and Rachel should sing 'Muskrat Love' for Nationals."

Rachel started in on the merits and downsides to choosing a love ballad from the '70s. "While it's an interesting suggestion, it's not a duet and I'd prefer something more in my typical range than a song sung by Toni Tennille, who while quite talented, was clearly an alto." She went on extolling the merits of several songs that she thought her voice was well suited for.

Dave got back in the seat. "You didn't have to push me into the aisle."

"It's better than other things I thought of doing."

"Don't be so bitchy about it, Kurt. You have nice legs and you'd rock those long socks."

"Didn't I just shove you of this seat for that?"

"You did, and I'll be keeping my compliments to myself if they're just going to get me bruises from falling on my ass."

"You're not making fun of me for wearing the skirts?"

"Um, no?"

"Are you just trying to come up with whatever answer will keep me from pushing you out of the seat again?"

"Well, I don't want you to, but I'm not specifically trying say anything other than the truth."

"You think I have nice legs?"

"Duh."

"How very articulate of you, David."

"Why yes, dear, I think your legs are quite attractive," he snarked back. "Better?"

Kurt sat up straight and changed the subject. "I want to make serious plans for New York City. Knowing Mr. Schue, he won't plan anything. That is _not_ going to cut it. I want to _see_ things and _go_ places."

Dave leaned back in the seat. "Of course. It would be a waste to spend several days there and see nothing but the inside of our hotel room."

* * *

Dave pulled the last pan of baked ziti out of the oven and put it on the stovetop. He kept his voice low and stepped closer to Kurt. "I think your idea of holding the PFLAG meetings in the Home Ec room was genius. We've lured half of our membership in here from the tantalizing aromas from the things you cooked wafting through the hallways and _calling_ to people."

Kurt laughed, but responded quietly. "Well, it worked, so goal accomplished. It gave people who wanted to see what it was about a reason to come in without having to justify being here other than to eat whatever was being served."

Everyone else was working setting up desserts they had brought on one of the tables. Kurt turned to check on them. The whole Glee Club, Coach Beiste, Miss Pillsbury, and about 5 out of the usual 30 or so people who came were already there. It was their last meeting of the year, and once they ate, they were going to have one of the guys from COGLAHA, the gay hockey club in Columbus, was going to give a presentation.

Dave said, "I'm going to head out front and wait for Thomas to get here."

Kurt nodded. "I'll finish setting this up."

Sam came up behind him. "I'll help."

"Oh, great. Thanks, Sam."

"Sure. I managed to convince Rick to come."

"How did you do that?"

"Thomas played hockey for Rick's favorite college team. He was his favorite player, I guess. I saw him looking at the flyer on the main student bulletin board."

"That's amazing. Thanks. He's been nothing but a burr in my boot, as coach likes to put it."

Sam chuckled. "Maybe today will be the day he gives up hassling people who don't fit his criteria for masculinity."

"We can hope. Grab the stack of stiffer plates up in the right cabinet, will you?"

An hour later, after everyone else had had a chance to talk to him, Thomas was talking to Rick quietly. Everyone besides the Glee Club members and a few other people, had already left and they were ignoring the two of them and went about talking to each other about upcoming summer plans and going to New York City.

Quinn said, "I think we have the whole itinerary planned. We worked on it last night. We'll bring it to Glee Club tomorrow and we can make sure we're good to go. We need to get tickets ordered in advance to get the discounts."

Mercedes said, "We're being crammed into two hotel rooms with four beds each. So, we're going to work on bathroom schedules too. Two bathrooms and 14 people isn't going to be pretty."

"But it's New York City," Kurt said. "It's going to be amazing. And we'll just deal with the bathrooms, even me."

Rachel chimed in. "It's going to be amazing. I just know it. You're all going to love it there."

Puck said, "Hell, yeah. I've never been anywhere cool. It's gonna rock."

They began to clean up.

Kurt said, "Who wants to take home some ziti?"

"Count me in," Puck said. "I won't have to make Sarah dinner."

"Me too," Sam said. "Stevie and Stacey will love it."

"Why don't you bring them over? Stevie can play Mario or something while Sarah and Stacey play Barbies. And I'll help you with your math."

"Sure. They'd like that. And the math help would be great."

Everyone else cleared out until it was just Kurt, Dave, Coach Beiste, Rick, and Thomas.

Coach Beiste asked Dave to step out into the hall to give them some privacy. As the staff sponsor, she wasn't allowed to leave the room, but she moved to the corner diagonal from the other three. Kurt sat down a table with the other two.

Rick tripped over his words, "I, um… Look. I didn't know, okay?"

Kurt nodded, intending to encourage Rick to keep talking.

"All I've ever been told my whole life was that being gay was a sinful life choice. Like killing people and getting a divorce. You're the only gay guy besides Mr. Ryerson that I've ever met or at least knew was gay. And he's so weird and creepy. I just thought you would grow up and be creepy like him."

Kurt shivered at the thought of being like Mr. Ryerson in any way whatsoever.

"You both dress freaky. I mean you wore skirts to school before."

"I have. That's true. And I agree with you that my fashion choices are not usual for a teen guy in Ohio, but whether you believe me or not, they are actually fashionable, unlike Mr. Ryerson who… I don't even know where he buys his clothes. He's free to wear whatever he wants and to like whatever he wants, but just so you know, what he wears is not considered fashionable anywhere in the world right now. I'm not sure that it ever has been."

Rick laughed. "And honest to God, he's a creeper. He would leer at all of the good-looking guys like he wanted to pull them into his classroom and well… you know."

"I do." Kurt shivered again.

"So, seriously, I just thought that's how gay guys were."

Thomas interrupted. "I don't know who Mr. Ryerson is, and from what you've said I don't want to, but I just wanted to point out that being a creeper is an issue regardless of sexual orientation. If this Mr. Ryerson is a pedophile, he should be reported."

"He was," Kurt responded. "He was let go, but the school let him back at one point. He's not here now, though. I don't think he was actually prosecuted, but I'm not sure. But Thomas is right. Pedophiles are messed up and it doesn't have to do with whether they're gay or straight."

"I get that now. It's just when the only gay adult all of us have ever met seems like a pervert, it just made all of us think that all gay guys are like that. Meeting Thomas is, like, just really making me think."

Thomas said, "I think part of the issue too is that guys are used to being the predators in a way. Just hear me out before you argue."

Rick nodded.

"Locker room talk. We've all heard it. They talk about girls in ways that aren't the way they'd talk about their sisters. They have a big double standard when it comes to the way women and girls are talked about. When the girl is the object of their desire, they can be very predatory, and the talk even borders on rape. And men get off on being the one in control, the one calling the shots, the one doing the action." Thomas was weighing his words carefully. "But when they think of being the object of another man's desire, they don't want to be on the receiving end of all of that predatory behavior. They don't want to be the one leered at or the one whose physical attributes are discussed in a sexual way, the one being on the receiving end of that action. It's very self-revelatory. If you think about it, Rick, how many things have you said about a girl that you wouldn't want said about you by a gay guy? I won't give specifics because you're a minor, but you know what I'm talking about. I believe that a lot of the homophobia in the locker room is because men are afraid of being on the other end of a man's desire. They know what men think about and do to women. And they don't want that for themselves."

"I'll think about that." He turned to Kurt. "Look, I'm not ready to be a rainbow-flag-carrying gay ally, but I'll back off. I just didn't know that normal regular guys, like jocks who wear normal clothes and act normal, could be gay. I have a lot to think about, but I won't hassle you because you're gay anymore. But dressing stupid is still a reason to call you out, just so you know."

"I can live with that. How I dress IS a choice. You don't have to like it. I think your haircut is awful. But it's your hair, and you should wear it however you like it."

"Yeah, I'll do that. I like my hair."

"Fair point. I like my clothes."

"So, anyway. I don't know anything else to say. Thomas said he's going to send Coach Beiste some links and stuff for me to read. He says he can't contact me directly, but I'm going to go to that gay hockey club and talk to the other guys. I just want to hear it from more people. It's hard when my whole family and, like, everyone around here says one thing and just you and Thomas say something different."

"I get that. For what it's worth, I think it's really brave of you to step outside your comfort zone and learn new things," Kurt said. "I'm glad you came today. I saved you a plate of desserts since you were busy talking. I covered it in foil. It's over by the stove."

"That was cool of you. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Kurt stood up. "I'll let you two continue talking. I have to get to work."

* * *

All 14 Glee Club members began the dance routine again, dancing along to a recording they had made of themselves singing, saving their voices for later in the day when they'd get a chance to rehearse on stage. They ran through all three of their songs.

"Much better than the first time," Mr. Schue said. "You can all take a break. I know you have plans for this afternoon. Coach Beiste and Miss Pillsbury will be accompanying you to Times Square. Be back by 5:00."

Everyone headed up to their rooms to grab what they needed and met back in the lobby. They took the bus from the hotel to Times Square. When they got there, Coach Beiste stepped to the front of the group.

"I know we set this up as a time to look around the Times Square, but I have a surprise. Miss Pillsbury spoke to the Gershwin Theater and we're going to get to go inside and see the _Wicked_ set."

"Oh, my God," Kurt said.

"It's fantastic!" Rachel said, excitedly.

The rest of the group wasn't nearly as enthusiastic, but followed along. They walked from the bus stop to the theater, where they were met at the door and led inside the auditorium area. The orchestra was in the pit rehearsing.

Their guide said, "It's your lucky day. A few of the musicians got food poisoning last night and their replacements are here practicing."

They moved closer to the stage and stood and listened.

When the song stopped, the conductor turned around. "Do any of you know 'For Good'?"

Kurt and Rachel raised their hands.

"Well come on down and get up on the stage. Let's hear you."

Kurt and Rachel moved into position center stage. Someone in the lighting booth saw them and turned on the projection for the song. Several people pulled their phones out and recorded them.

_Who can say if I've been changed for the better?  
I do believe that I've been changed for the better.  
And because I knew you, (Kurt only)  
Because I knew you. (Rachel only)_

_Because I knew you_

_I have been changed  
For good. _

When the music stopped, Kurt took Rachel's hand and they bowed together. Everyone clapped for them.

The conductor spoke again. "That was terrific, you two. I was told that your group is here for the Show Choir Nationals. It sounds to me like you have a good chance if the rest of your group can sing as well."

Kurt smiled. "They can all sing."

The rest of the group joined them on the stage for the tour. They got to see the backstage area and the dressing rooms, all while they could still hear the orchestra practicing, which gave the whole thing a fantasy feeling. When they finished the tour, they thanked their guide. He took a photo of the whole group in the foyer before they left.

"Oh, my God, that was amazing!" Rachel exclaimed once they got outside. "I am coming back here for college. I have to. I've known forever this is what I wanted to do, but now I'm 1000% sure."

"I'm coming here at some point," Kurt said. "I'll have to look into colleges and start planning."

"Listen up!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Coach Beiste.

"This here's 7th Avenue and 50th Street. We're all meetin' at 4:30 at 7th Avenue and 43rd Street in front of the Hard Rock Café. Don't be late. Make sure your phones are on. 4:30. Got it? We're not eatin' dinner until 7:00, so I'd suggest you all eat somethin' between now and 4:30."

Everyone nodded and began to walk down 7th Avenue. They resumed their original plan of breaking into small groups and exploring the area for a couple of hours before they met back to return to the hotel.

Mercedes, Artie, Sam, and Quinn headed off together. Santana and Brittany stayed together. Rachel and Finn went their own way, as did Tina and Mike. Lauren and Puck hung back and stayed with Kurt and Dave for a while. The four of them headed into the Hershey's store together.

* * *

Lauren managed to get Kurt alone. "You know I used to think you were really badass, walking around the school dressed any way you wanted, treating the losers like they didn't matter at all, but you're being a punk these days."

Kurt was confused. "Oh, really? In what way?"

"Yes, really. You and Dave."

"Me and Dave?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Hummel. You two are practically joined at the hip. Beiste assigned you two to spend two lunch periods a week together last October or whatever. And a month later you were friendly. By Christmas, you were friends. By Regionals, you were best friends. How all that happened is beyond me. But I know what I see. You and me got a lot in common. We get ignored a lot. It gives us the ability to watch and observe. You like Dave."

Kurt sighed, but said nothing.

"I get it. He's not out. I won't say a thing to anyone, but Puck figured it out too. He's over there giving Dave a pep talk about how everyone in Glee will have his back when he decides to come out." She pointed to a display of chocolate. "Which kind of this dark chocolate tastes the best?"

Kurt pointed.

She picked up a bar of it. "Puck and I will hang around with the two of you the rest of the trip, like we do at school a lot of the time. We can be a buffer. We're in a place where very few people care about two guys together. Take advantage of it, or don't. Your choice. Just wanted you to know that we've got your back, if you decide to tell him while we're here. Thanks for the tip on the chocolate." She walked off before he had time to respond.

* * *

Puck walked up next to Dave and started looking at the different things on the shelves. "You should tell him."

Dave tried to keep his face neutral. "Tell him what?"

"Don't play stupid. We both know you're not. Tell Kurt you like him."

"He knows."

"Oh." Puck was stunned silent for a few seconds. "So are you two, like, dating on the DL?"

"Nope. We're just friends."

"Because he's not interested?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never asked him. I would never ask him to be my 'dirty little secret' or whatever you want to call it. He deserves someone who is proud to be with him. I don't know how you figured it out, but I'm not ready for people to know."

"I get that. I won't say anything. But me and Lauren would have your back if you came out. And the rest of the Glee Club too."

"I appreciate that, but my mom won't feel the same."

"Oh."

"She'd be a thousand times happier if I told her I knocked up a Cheerio than if I told her that I'm, you know."

"That sucks, especially given my ma's reaction."

"Yeah, exactly." Dave moved down the aisle.

"So, you're just gonna to stay in the closet until after high school?"

"I'm not sure. I turn 18 the beginning of August. I want to go to college, but if I try to get a sports scholarship, I'm looking at staying in the closet until I graduate from college. I guess that wouldn't be that bad. I just don't know. I can't afford to go any place decent on my own and I've looked into it enough to know that my parents make enough money to make me ineligible for grants."

"I haven't started looking into anything." He groaned. "I've been such a screw up until recently that I never really considered what would happen when I was an adult. I need to start. Maybe we could persuade Coach Beiste to help us."

"She'd do it, but it seems like Miss P's job. Can't hurt to ask though."

"So, you're just not going to do anything about how you feel about Kurt?"

"What else is there to do? He knows. He's never said anything to let me know he feels the same, so there's nothing to do. He's my best friend. That's the best I can have. At least for now."

"Man, that sucks."

"Yeah."

* * *

Kurt followed Lauren. "It's not as easy as you think, you know? It's not just about what people at school might say. I've never actually met his mom. She's homophobic. All she knows is that Dave spends time at Finn's place, which also happens to be my place, but she doesn't know that. Finn's mom isn't friends with the other moms of the guys on the football team. She's kept her old friends from Toledo. She drives up there to do things with them. Her sister lives there too. So his mom doesn't know that Finn's mom is my stepmother."

"Well, that sucks that his mom is a homophobe."

"It does, but it's the reality of things. I can't put him in an even harder situation."

"You could just see each other on the DL at your house."

"Yeah, my dad's not big into me dating. He's a good guy, but he's not ready for that."

"Well, he needs to put his big boy pants on and get over himself. Isn't your 18th birthday in like three weeks?"

"It is."

"Well, then it's time for papa bear to realize that you aren't a child anymore."

"Why don't you tell him that?"

Lauren laughed. "Don't tempt me. I might just do it."

"Better you than me. Who's the dark chocolate for? Obviously, you don't care for it."

"I thought I'd give it a try. We're in New York, why not branch out?"

"I'd suggest buying what you like. I'm pretty sure you won't care for that."

"You're probably right." She went back to the rack she had taken it from and chose something different.

Puck and Dave came around the end of the row. Puck wrapped his arms around Lauren from the back. "Hey, sweetness."

She rolled her eyes, but let him kiss her on the cheek. "Kurt convinced me to go with something I'd have more of a chance of liking."

"Good deal. I like these. Let's get it and share it. We need some real food too." He kissed her on the cheek again and grabbed for her hand and led her away from the other two.

* * *

As they stood in line at Famous Original Ray's Pizza, they kept bumping into each other as the line moved forward. Every time, Dave's arm brushed against Kurt's, Kurt struggled to not just take Dave's hand. He closed his eyes and willed himself not to, all the while enjoying what contact there was, committing the electrified feeling to memory.

* * *

"And in third place, The New Directions from Lima, Ohio."

They all started jumping up and down and hugging one another. Dave turned and hugged Quinn, who was standing to his left, who let go of Kurt to hug him. He stepped forward just a bit and pulled Kurt into a hug next.

The faint lingering smell of Kurt's cologne on his clothes drove him crazy until he could change a half-hour later, but when it came time to actually take the shirt off, he balked, not wanting to lose the memory of holding Kurt, however briefly it had been.

* * *

"I can't believe school is starting again in three weeks. Seniors. If you think about it, I had a pretty good year." Kurt said, as he sat in Dave's passenger seat holding the cup of iced coffee he had gotten the Lima Bean.

Dave turned and smiled at him as he looked to his right to pull out of the lot.

"I flew in an airplane the first time when we went to Hawaii for the honeymoon. Finn started acting like a decent human being after we started the PFLAG group and he actually learned some stuff about being gay. He and I had a good time in Hawaii. Carole's an amazing mom. We won the football state championship. The Cheerios onw the National title again. We placed 3rd at Nationals, which was pretty good considering our competition. Prom was fun. Puck and Lauren as King and Queen was a surprise."

Dave nodded.

"You were even more of a surprise. Who'd have thunk, huh? You're my best friend now." When Dave turned in the opposite direction of his house, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Close your eyes. I'll tell you when to open them."

"Alright."

They continued to talk about their junior year, and about ten minutes later, Dave pulled into a driveway and cut the engine. He nodded as Puck handed him the key when he stepped out of his truck. Puck jogged off to jump into his own truck. Dave went around to Kurt's side and opened the door to let him out. "Just put your hand on my shoulder and let me guide you."

Kurt did. Dave closed his door and locked the truck. He led Kurt through a privacy fence and up to the side door and unlocked it. He stepped inside and closed the door behind them.

"Okay. Open your eyes."

Kurt stepped into the kitchen. "Wait, what? That's all of the stuff I had at my house to surprise you for your birthday dinner."

Dave laughed as he followed Kurt into the kitchen. "No wonder Puck was so willing to help out. He was supposed to order a pizza and have it delivered so we could eat when we got here."

"Well, he knew about my plans for you. Everyone's in Toledo, so I was going to surprise you later. Whose place is this?"

"That's part of the surprise. It's mine. You knew my grandpa died – my dad's dad."

"Yeah."

"Well, he left this place to my dad and me. It's got two small bedrooms. I'm going to have to come up with the money for the utilities and stuff, so I'll have to get a job. I moved all of my stuff over here this past weekend when my parents were out of town. I swapped out my bed for one my grandpa had and left it in my old room at home. I don't think my parents will notice."

Kurt chuckled. "Let's put the lasagna in the oven to warm it up." He grabbed the dish and turned the oven on and put it in. "So you moved in this weekend. That's why you were busy all day Sunday."

"It is. Puck helped me with the bed. I brought everything else here myself and went back home Sunday night to wait for them to get back. I told my mom that I was gay. It went the way I had figured it would. She kicked me out. I told my dad last weekend. He's the one that helped me get the utilities and stuff in my name earlier today. That's why I was busy when you called earlier."

"I had hoped you were wrong about your mom."

"Yeah, I didn't have any hope about it. But it's done. She knows. No more weight on my shoulders about being sent somewhere to be cured."

Kurt picked up the cheesecake he had made and put it in the fridge. "Is this place still in McKinley's district?"

"No, but my dad isn't going to change my address at the school."

"Well, that's good. I'm not actually sure where we are, but it seemed like we drove north for a while before you started making turns."

"I did. It's in North Lima district. I'll just drive every day like I always do. Let's go sit in the living room while we wait for the food to warm up."

Kurt followed him out the kitchen door, into the short entry hall, and into the living room. "This is nice."

"It is. I feel comfortable here. I spent a lot of time here growing up. My dad and his dad were close. My grandma died when I was about 10, so he'd been living here alone for quite a while. He and I played chess a lot."

Kurt noted the small bistro-style table in the corner with two chairs pushed up to it and a chessboard sitting on top. He sat down on the couch.

Dave sat down as well. "We were talking about our junior year. It started out pretty bad for me, but it made a pretty quick turn around when you put me in my place in the locker room that day. I remember what you said. You wanted someone willing to take you out to dinner and who wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with you."

Kurt blushed.

"I know this isn't going out, but I'm out now and I'd never be embarrassed to be seen with you. But if you don't like me that way, I still want to be friends."

Kurt scooted closer. "You still like me?"

"Well, duh."

"How very articulate of you, David." Kurt mock punched Dave in the upper arm.

"Yes, your majesty," he smarted off. "I had a crush on you for ages. And after we became friends, it became more than a crush. I would have never asked you to be my secret boyfriend, but I also couldn't risk being outed until I couldn't be sent off to be cured."

"So, is that your round about way of asking me out, David?"

"No. This is me asking you out." He turned to face him. "Kurt Hummel, will you go out with me?"

Kurt responded coyly. "I don't know." He sighed. "It's a little less than I was hoping for. I was going to ask you to be my boyfriend once you came out to your mom."

His eyes flashed at first, but then he relaxed. "You scared me, you smartass. What's the difference?"

"Well, if you're going to call me names, I'm not sure if I want to be your boyfriend." Kurt winked at him and turned his nose up feigning haughtiness.

"You're a fancy smartass with your designer-inspired clothes and your smart mouth. That's not calling you names. It's the truth. And I'm pretty sure you remember me saying that you bitching at me gets me hot under the collar, so you know that's not an insult. But I don't get your distinction between going out with me and being your boyfriend."

"Well, someone can go out with any number of people in a non-exclusive dating arrangement. And being my boyfriend makes us exclusively dating each other."

"To-may-to, to-mah-to. Same difference since you know I would never date anyone besides you, even if there were a hundred other guys to chose from. You, on the other hand, might have your eye on some of those Warblers or one of the gay guys in Vocal Adrenaline."

"Pfft." Kurt rolled his eyes. "None of them knows my coffee order or my favorite dessert or my favorite book or TV show or how to cheer me up when I'm down. Only you do. Plus, if I bitched at one of them, they'd get their feelings hurt."

Dave laughed. "So, is that a yes? You'll be my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend, yes." Kurt reached out and took Dave's hand. "We can go out to dinner another time since I've made your favorite lasagna for tonight."

"It smells good already." Dave's stomach growled.

"Why don't you take me on a tour of your house to distract yourself from being so hungry?" He stood up without letting go of Dave's hand and pulled him to standing.

"Um, sure." He stared at their linked hands and smiled. Once he was standing, he led Kurt back out into the entryway hall. "There's a half-bath here under the stairs." He pointed to a closed door. "You saw the kitchen." He squeezed Kurt's hand gently before he let go and walked up the stairs. He waited at the top and shyly reached out for Kurt's hand.

"I left something out my 'Ode to Junior Year' earlier."

"What's that?"

"How my appreciation for stirrup pants grew this spring watching you play baseball."

Dave blushed. He tried to refocus their conversation. "Um, there are two bedrooms, like I said. They're basically the same." He pointed to the doorway on each side of the landing. "The bathroom is here in the middle."

"Which room is yours?"

"I took this one," he motioned to Kurt's right. "I like blue and the walls in here are already painted blue. It was my dad's room growing up." He stepped closer so Kurt could look in.

Kurt stepped inside, with Dave following close behind since he didn't want to let go of Dave's hand. "It's nice. I like how light it is, with windows on the front and the back." He stepped closer to Dave. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes," Dave's choked out, barely able to contain his emotion.

Kurt let go of his hand and stepped even closer, closing the distance between them completely. He reached up and wrapped his right hand behind Dave's neck and placed his left hand on his shoulder. Kurt looked him in the eyes and saw the overwhelming emotions he felt reflected in Dave's eyes.

Dave put his hands on Kurt's waist and leaned down just slight and pressed his forehead against Kurt's. "You're sure?"

"Yes, David. I'm sure." Kurt tipped his head and to the side just a bit and pressed his lips to Dave's. He pulled back after the brief contact. He looked at Dave, who had a shy smile on his face. Kurt slipped his fingers into Dave's hair at the base of his neck and pulled himself closer and pressed in for another kiss. And another. And so many that he lost count by the time he heard the timer on the oven beeping. He pecked him on the lips once more and stepped back. "Let's go pull it out so it doesn't burn. We can kiss in the kitchen while it cools enough that we can serve it."

When they got downstairs, Kurt pulled the pan out, put it on top of the stove, and closed the oven door. When he turned around, Dave wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist and pulled him close.

"Impatient, are we?"

"I waited years for that kiss. I almost blew it being stupid, and I'm never letting that happen again." He tipped his head down just slightly and kissed Kurt. "Thank you for giving me a chance to show you the real me."

"Surprisingly enough, the real you is amazingly sweet. And very kissable." He rotated them and hopped up the counter. He pulled Dave closer, making room for him between his knees, and kissed him again and again.


	3. Day Five - College

After what felt like about a hundred trips up and down, Kurt and Dave went back down to take the U-Haul and drop it off.

"We did it," Kurt said.

"We did." Dave slid to the middle of the seat. He tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

"I'm forever grateful to the inventor of the elevator. I love the view from the fifth floor, but it was hard enough getting everything in with the elevator. I can only imagine if we had to carry everything up four flights of stairs." Kurt pulled out. "We wouldn't have had anything to carry in without your dad's contribution."

"It's kind of weird to see a mixture of things from my old house and then one we've been living in. I'm glad that Dad stored everything for the last two months, though. We brought everything we need with us, except some lamps. I'm sad for my dad of course, but he tried. My mom was just unrelenting. I'm glad he chose me, but I can't even imagine. They'd been together for 20 years."

"She made the process take so long by continually fighting the equitable distribution of assets. If she wanted it over with, why make it so hard on your dad?"

"I think maybe that was part of it. Like maybe he'd decide that choosing me was just too hard and he'd relent and go to her church for marital counseling instead of to the ‘secular, godless counseling’, as my mom called it."

"Could be. But as messed up as the whole thing has been, your dad seems to be fine living in the smaller house. He kept his sofa and chair and TV, and his bedroom suite. And we have most of the other stuff with me raiding the kitchen when everyone was in DC over spring break and taking all of my mom's stuff."

Dave reached out and put his hand on Kurt's thigh. "I know this isn't the way you had envisioned things. Are you sure you're okay with everything?"

"I am. I'm going to save $40,000 in tuition and I'll be able to pay my way through school myself if I work full time for a year and three months before I start. If I can't make it on Broadway, then I won't be trying to pay off 10 years worth of debt. NYADA is supposedly fantastic, but I was told that Hugh Jackman would have approved of what I had done and Madame Tibideaux praised my performance, and then I was rejected. Meanwhile Rachel choked, practically stalked her, and got in. I don't want to deal with that type of illogical behavior from the head of my department. And after we all did so much research, NYADA was just a pie-in-the-sky idea for me anyway. It's ridiculously expensive and my parents make too much money for me to get any grants. It's fine. You and Sam will start this year and Sebastian and I will start next year, even though he'll be taking classes this year through the program at the high school he's going to."

"It's weird that he's still going to be in high school."

"It's all super weird if you think about it. Sam came out to us as questioning after we started dating and told him since he was my best friend, well our best friend."

"He was yours and became mine too. Azimio dropped me when I joined Glee, which was fine in the long run. Better to just let it die then given how he reacted the day we walked into school hand in hand the week after football ended last fall."

"After Coach Beiste made all of them be extras in _West Side Story_ , I thought maybe they'd chill out, but that black eye took quite some time to heal and he got suspended."

"Coach Beiste made some serious changes, which was good."

"It's hard to believe it hasn't even been a year since Puck got us fake IDs and the three of us snuck into Scandals."

"I know. That was a wild night though," he laughed.

"With a really unexpected outcome – Sebastian. Sam wanted to find someone willing to let him explore his confused feelings without using anyone. Cue Sebastian," Kurt chuckled. "He took one look at Sam and pulled him out onto the dance floor. Sam got his questions answered and we got a new best friend, another smartass. Poor Sam. He's such a sweetie and he has three smartasses for roommates."

Dave laughed. "That's true. But when Sebastian starts to rile you up more than Sam can tolerate, he just moves in between you and kisses Sebastian."

"Uh huh, and you _never_ have anything to do with that." Kurt chuckled. "Sam's got his number for sure. I was concerned at first with Sebastian having been a player back in France, but they've been together for ten months now. Nearly as long as us, although Sebastian drug his feet on declaring them officially exclusively dating for quite a while. They were, just not in name."

Dave chortled. "I remember what he said when he walked up to us at Scandals."

Kurt laughed too.

"‘Well, maybe there is a God. I get sent to Bumfuck, Ohio and in walk a gay teen's fantasy banana split – a jock, a twink, and a bear cub.’ And then he looked us all up and down and even walked around us before he said anything else. You took my hand. And he said, 'Ah. Well, a pretty jock will be just fine.' And he grabbed Sam's hand and took him out on the dance floor."

"It's going to be weird to be here just the two of us for six weeks. I'm used to Sam being around all the time and Sebastian staying every weekend. Sam's a sweetie living with your dad so that Sebastian won't be all alone in Ohio until his birthday."

"And to be there to pick up the pieces afterwards. We all know what's going to happen, but that won't make it any easier."

"No offense, but I just don't get people like your mom. If God is love like they say, then why would God tell them to hate their own children? And Sebastian. Hasn't he suffered enough? I mean, his mom died like mine, and then his grandparents who were raising him died in an accident. Now he lives with a bigoted jackass. At least his dad is too embarrassed to tell his own parents that Sebastian is gay, so his grandparents don't hate him… yet."

"I'm glad Sam is going to be there. He's already been through it himself with his parents kicking him out after they found out that he was dating Sebastian over winter break. He was there for Sam and now he's going to need the support. Maybe we can convince him to see the new school counselor and find someone for Sam to see if he still needs to. We might find some place that doesn't charge much or is free."

"He said the counselor at Dalton has been really helpful. We can look for something here."

Kurt pulled into the Ikea parking lot. They made their way through to the lighting area quickly and bought the lamps they had chosen ahead of time. They were the one thing they needed since their new apartment didn't have overhead lights in the bedrooms or living room. Dave grabbed another trolley as they entered the warehouse section. They loaded up the two wardrobes and the hall tree they needed and got in line.

From there they went to Costco and stocked up on everything since they had the U-Haul. They dropped everything back off at the apartment and returned the U-Haul, finally making it back three hours after they had originally arrived.

Kurt put the last item in the fridge and closed the door and turned around to find Dave standing facing him.

"You, me, the shower?"

"A most excellent idea. I really like the oversized square walk-in glass shower. We should go try it out." Kurt stepped into their room long enough to strip down to his underwear and find the box that said towels and bathroom products. He handed them to Dave, who carried them into the bathroom and opened them. He grabbed all of their stuff and put it inside the shower. He hung up two towels and grabbed two washcloths. He went back to check on Kurt since he hadn't come down to the bathroom. Dave found him folding the covers down accordion style. He had stayed behind to make their bed. Kurt followed Dave back to the shower.

"Mmm, this is nice," Kurt said. "It's a lot less crowded than we're used to."

"This bar making the shower accessible will make it all the easier for you to f-"

Kurt interrupted him with a kiss. "Is that what you're wanting, David?" he ran his hand down Dave's arms. "I thought we might get around to the love-making in the bedroom once we get out. That's why I made the bed before I came in here."

"Mmm. Great idea, but can you fuck me now and take the edge off how totally horny I am? I've been watching you bend over in those beat up basketball shorts you borrowed from Sam for the move all day long."

"I can do that." He pressed Dave against the wall and kissed him. "Turn around."

* * *

Kurt lay with his head on Dave's chest, gently running his fingers through Dave's chest hair. "I remember our first time. We were both so nervous."

"I wanted you so badly and you were so scared you were going to hurt me."

"Three months later, no more nerves. Just lots of love."

"Mmm hmm. I remember when you told me you loved me the first time. After that huge argument when Finn told my dad we were dating before I had gotten a chance to and we were all summoned to a family meeting. After that was finally over and we were sitting out in the far back part of the yard on the swing, you took my hand and told me."

"God, I was so turned on. You defended me and us and you were like hellfire raining down on Finn and him nosing into other people's business, especially after just having said something that got Santana outed on TV. You'd have thought he would have learned his lesson."

"We had gotten past the homophobia, but he still hadn't gotten past the being oblivious stage. I'm not sure that he has yet. Hopefully, some day. Until then, Finn can never know anything before my dad does."

"Right." Dave ran his hand up and down Kurt's arm softly and slowly. He placed a gentle kiss on Kurt's forehead. "We're here. In New York City."

"We are. And so is Rachel probably. I'm not sure how long her dads were planning to stay. I still can't believe Finn pulled that on her. Taking her to the train station last Saturday instead of to their wedding."

"Better then that afterwards, I guess. But I can't imagine how brokenhearted she is."

"She and I may have had a falling out, but I wouldn't wish what he did on anyone."

They both lay quietly for a while, both exhausted, but still too wound up to sleep.

"Let's go out for breakfast tomorrow," Kurt suggested. "Not to a sit-down restaurant, but let's take a walk around the neighborhood and just explore for a bit before we get down to the nitty-gritty of emptying the boxes."

"Works for me."

He tipped his head back and turned Dave's face towards him, running his fingers along his stubble. "I love you, David. So much. I'm so excited to be here with you."

Dave tilted his head down and pressed a gentle kiss to Kurt's lips. "I love you too."

"Kiss me until we fall asleep?"

"My pleasure," he teased, as he turned just a bit to kiss Kurt more comfortably.

* * *

Six weeks later, they went to La Guardia to meet Sebastian and Sam. When they finally saw them coming towards them, Kurt rushed towards them and pulled Sebastian into a hug first, and then Sam. He took Sam's duffle and put it on cross-body. Dave grabbed Sebastian's suitcase and pulled it, leaving him with his backpack and a crossbody messenger bag to deal with. They made their way to the ferry in silence. Once they were back off, they walked to the apartment. Kurt and Dave pointed out some places along the walk.

Once they made it inside, they left their luggage near the door. Dave and Kurt plated the food and set it on the table. Sebastian and Sam stopped at the bathroom on the way in.

"This looks great," Sam said as he sat down. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Kurt said.

Sebastian sat down next to Sam and began to eat. After he had eaten about half of his food, he began to talk. "When I left Friday evening, my father wasn't home, so it was easy to pack up all of my clothes and take them with me. I sent what I had brought from home, Paris, with you when you two came, so I didn't have that much left. I spent the weekend in Lima and spent yesterday afternoon at my grandparents' place. This morning, Sam and I left Lima and went to the bank in Columbus as soon as it opened. Since I'm 18 now, I was able to transfer all of the money that was in the joint account I had with my Father to a new personal account that I opened this morning. And I pulled my documents from the safety deposit box they had been stored in. We drove on to my father's and left the car in his driveway. I left the keys to his house, the safety deposit box, and the car inside and used the keypad to reset the security system when I left. We took the bus to his office and I told him that I was never going to marry a girl and provide him with proper heirs. He pulled out the paperwork from my trust fund and made me sign a document indicating that I was abdicating, or whatever the right term would be, my right to collect my trust fund, which I saw for the first time as well. I was set to inherit a million dollars upon graduating from law school and getting married. And he was going to pay for me to study law and for my living expenses while I was in college – if I stayed here in the States, which I knew. He also informed me despite my bad choices and sinful lifestyle, he would pay for me to attend Dalton again this fall. Obviously, he wants as little to do with me as possible and keeping me at a boarding school does that as well as keeps his reputation intact."

"Oh, wow," Sam said. "That's a… a lot of money."

"Yeah. My freedom for a million dollars and a college education in a field I'm not interested in. No thanks. I'd rather sell hot dogs and live in this apartment than to live under his thumb, so I'm okay. I have the three of you and I'm okay."

"We're glad you're here. We put off our exploration, except for the immediate neighborhood," Kurt said.

"And where I work, there's an opening. I've worked there long enough to recommend whichever one of you wants to be a barista."

Kurt said, "The shop I work at needs someone to run the registers and do cleaning. And do tire changes."

"Sam can pick after he goes to look at each place. Something I realized today was that I'm going to have to do a lot of personal stuff before I can get a job doing anything. I'm going to make an appointment at the French Consulate for as soon as possible."

"Why?" Kurt asked.

"In the safety deposit box was my American birth certificate and an American social security card, both with the name that my father insisted was my legal name – Sebastian Alexander Smythe. But my French Passport and my documents I brought with me have the name I grew up believing to be mine on them – Sébastien Alexandre Larose. Larose is my grandparents and my mother's last name. My parents were never married and it's not common for a baby to be given his father's name if the parents aren't married. My father insisted that my last name was the same as his and not my mom's because that's the way things are done here. I was barely 17 and in no mental shape to argue with him. I just accepted his answer because I figured that I couldn't change anything anyway. But now that I'm 18, I can get it resolved. I don't want to go by Smythe anyway. I never did, but I need to figure out what the truth is. I'm 99% sure my dad did something after I got here and petitioned to have my name changed. Since I was a minor, I couldn't do anything to contest even if I had known, and there were no one to contest on my behalf. If he did, I'm going to petition to have it changed back or have what he did annulled or whatever the right word is. I need to get it straightened out before I can even get my name added to the lease or enroll in school."

"So, we've been pronouncing your name wrong?" Dave asked.

"That doesn't really bother me. It's like the difference between Kurt calling you David and us calling you Dave. Sebastian or Sébastien, it doesn't matter than much since I've gotten used to it, but the last name bothers me. I was a Larose my whole life until a year ago."

Kurt nodded. He noticed that everyone was about finished eating, except Sebastian since he had been talking. Kurt went into the kitchen and brought out the ice cream cake he had made for Sebastian the day before. He sat it on the table and they sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

He wiped a few tears from his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's a chocolate cake with cherry chocolate chip ice cream." He cut four slices, giving Sebastian the first one.

He put the first bite in his mouth and moaned, "Excellent, as always."

Kurt smiled. He put the rest back in the freezer before he sat down to eat his. Once they finished, Sam offered to clean up since Dave and Kurt had cooked and it was Sebastian's birthday. Kurt ushered Sebastian into the living room. Sam came in a couple of minutes later since all he had to do was load the dishwasher.

"Okay," Kurt started. "So you told us not to buy you a birthday present, so we found the box that had the bed linens for your room in it and we washed and dried them and put them on your bed last night, so you could go to bed tonight without having to do it."

"Much appreciated," Sam said. "Even though it's his present."

"Yeah, thanks."

Kurt pulled shopping bags out of their small office area and brought them out. "These are welcome to New York gifts."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "Right." But the small smile that made a brief appearance gave him away.

They both opened the bags.

"Oh, cool. A Hunter College hoodie," Sam said, holding his up.

"These are nice," Sebastian said. "The block logo is embroidered instead of a heat transfer."

"We got ourselves one too." Kurt ran off to grab them. He held his deep purple hoodie with white lettering up. "It will look good with my grey skinny jeans and my white Docs."

Dave teased him and held up his dark heather gray hoodie with purple lettering. "With my dark wash jeans that show off my ass and my trainers." He turned and wiggled his butt.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Mmm hmm. Good combination. Two thumbs up."

Sebastian just laughed at them.

"Yours are the same size so you can trade off if you want. The school colors are obviously gold and purple. We got the black and gold ones for you two obviously."

"I like them both," Sam said. "And you're right we can trade off. We definitely need you to tell us where the best places to shop are. We both need some new clothes. At least new-to-us clothes. Sebastian hardly has anything, just that one suitcase he had with him."

"I left my uniforms at the school for Jeff when I went to pick up my official transcript. Sam's right though. I donated most of the boring shirts I had picked out in Ohio before I left. I kept the Levis. I just packed those and what I brought with me from Paris when I came. I didn't really wear any of it in Ohio, so you can take a look at what I have before we go out. I wore a uniform to school there too. I have a few things I wore clubbing, which might still be okay here."

Kurt nodded.

Dave asked, "Did you tell your dad where you were going?"

"I didn't tell him anything. It's not like he can report me as a runaway."

"So, he's just going to go home tonight and find that you're not there?"

"Yep. I forgot to mention that I wiped my phone and reset it and left it there too with the keys. I'll need to get a new phone tomorrow."

"The two of you can add your phones to our plan and we'll be able to use the friends and family texting and calling feature to save money on our bills."

Sebastian said, "Don't worry about me not paying my share. I have enough money to cover the rent for quite a while and to get a new phone. You know my father gave me a generous monthly allowance that I used as frugally as possible. I debated whether I should transfer the money, but given everything, it didn't seem like stealing. He gave me the money fair and square and he never paid a penny child support the whole time I was growing up." He stopped and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Just let me know when we can go to get a phone since you're both working."

"I can go out with you at 2:00 when I get off," Dave said.

"Thanks."

"So, a quick tour?" Kurt asked.

"Sure," Sam answered cheerfully.

The two of them followed Kurt around as he showed them where everything was. Sam and Sebastian unpacked before they ended the evening by watching a movie together.

* * *

Kurt stood Sam and Dave together in their hoodies and took a photo of them together and separately. He took Sebastian's picture next. Sam and Dave left their hoodies behind and the three of them headed off to class after Kurt hugged each of them. He closed the door behind them and slid down and at on the floor until he pulled himself together enough to head into their office and worked on the pieces he had been secretly working on for a few weeks. He had been scouring second-hand shops and picking up pieces for next to nothing to turn the four of them into the Beatles from their Abbey Road album cover.

* * *

They all sat down to dinner that evening.

"What's with the fancy dinner, Kurt?"

"I'm celebrating with my four favorite people. This afternoon, I went in for an interview at Vogue dot com for an interview with Isabelle Wright, who none of you have heard of, but is amazing. I got the position."

"She hired you on the spot?" Sebastian asked. "Isn't that like not the way things usually go?"

"It's not, but she did. And I'm working at Vogue part-time starting next week. It's like one of my dream places to work. I know I'll probably just be a glorified go-fer and run the coffee pot, but still Vogue dot com!"

"That's so awesome, really. Congratulations!" Sam said.

Dave leaned towards him and kissed him. "You didn't even tell us that you had applied to work there."

"I kept it to myself. I figured I had no chance, so why talk about it. But I got it."

His eyes were full of the joy none of them had seen in a few months. As the beginning of the school year had approached, he had become more closed off and spent more time in their office working on projects, even when they were home.

The other two saw Dave relax visibly as Kurt finally had something to look forward to doing that he would enjoy.

* * *

As the four of them walked into the Vogue Halloween party, they stopped and were photographed together. The photographer lined them up with as much space between them as he could to recreate the album cover. He complimented them and let them go on their way.

They weren't dressed nearly as expensively or outrageously as most of the other people in attendance, but they had a great time and everyone loved their group costuming. They were asked to be in photos with other people at the party all throughout the evening.

* * *

"Sébastien Alexandre Larose!"

He came running out of his room down the hall. "What?"

"Help me carry this box that was just delivered to you inside the apartment. What on earth did you order? It's huge."

"A Christmas tree of course."

"It's huge."

"We have 10-foot ceilings. I don't see a problem," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Fair point. Where are we going to keep it after Christmas?"

"I don't know. That's a problem for later. Come on." He picked up one end, still very excited. "You said you brought your mom's Christmas ornaments with you. We can start with those and we can find others we like to add to them. I'll look for some old-fashioned ones like my grandparents had. Maybe Sam can get his parents to send any that were his and I'm sure Paul will let Dave has a few of his. We can make some together out of flour like Mémé let me when I was a kid."

"You're right. We can."

"It'll be fun. I'll even learn some American Christmas songs. I don't know many, but I do know this one. The Warblers sang it last Christmas."

_Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.  
Jack Frost nipping at your nose.  
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow.  
Will find it hard to sleep tonight._

Sebastian continued to sing and Kurt joined in harmonizing.

Kurt got into the Christmas spirit and made each of them a stocking in coordinating Christmas plaids. They swapped names and filled each other's stockings with fun treats with a $20 limit, making them all be frugal and creative in their selections.

* * *

Dave stood with his phone waiting to take a photo of Kurt and Sebastian together in their well-worn Hunter College hoodies, broken in over the past year's use.

"Come on Sebastian, look lively," Kurt said as he nudged him in the ribs.

He lifted his eyebrow in his feigned indifference to Kurt's enthusiasm, but finally smiled and winked at him.

They turned to face Dave for the photo. He took a couple together a couple more individual shots.

Kurt managed to set the phone up and pressed the timer and moved around to stand with the other three for a group photo. The phone snapped five photos in quick succession.

Kurt hugged Sebastian. "We did it." He started singing. _We're moving on up._

Sebastian looked confused.

"It's the theme song from an ancient '70s TV show."

"Oh. You're right though. We're moving up to college. Let's get going." He pulled his hoodie off and put it hooked it on the hall tree. He stopped long enough to let Sam pull him into a hug and kiss him. "I'll see you at lunch."

Kurt went in the bathroom quickly to fix his hair after pulling the hoodie off. HE stopped on their way out and hung the hoodie on the hall tree as well. Dave came up behind him. Kurt turned and kissed him. "We'll see you tonight at dinner." He turned and left with Sebastian.

Dave went back to the kitchen and joined Sam to finish packing his lunch.

"It's been a long year for him, with Burt getting cancer and Finn dying. And even though it was happy, Carole having the twins was a bittersweet surprise. Now, she's in Lima full time being a single mom most of the time." Dave said. "But that part-time internship at Vogue made all the difference. It gave him something to focus on besides the bad stuff. I'm glad he finally gets to start school though."

"We've all moved on this past year. All of us have lived through losing important people, people who should have loved us the way we are. I honestly thought my parents would come around once they saw that I was happy here and doing well in school, but they're still 'Oh, we love you, but we just can't condone that behavior. When you decide to give up your sinful lifestyle, you can talk to Stevie and Stacey privately again.' I love them, but they're being ridiculous. It is what it is. After Stacey turns 16, I'm telling them myself, but that's not for like seven more years. I think they're just hoping Bas and I will break up."

Dave sighed. "It's so stupid."

"It is, but we've made our own family here together. And we're all succeeding, so no more depressing talk. It's a celebration day. We need to get something for Kurt. He always makes a celebration out of things for us. And the last time, he kept his good news to himself and made his own celebration dinner."

"You're right," Dave said. "Meet me where we met up for lunch over the spring when you're done. We'll stop by the bakery on the way home and pick between what they have."

"Good plan. "I gotta run. I need to stop by the art store on the way to campus. See ya later."

* * *

The leaves were starting to change color and the cool breeze of autumn began to appear more frequently. Kurt and Dave were seated on the same side of a picnic table sharing lunch before Kurt had to rush off to Vogue for the afternoon. When they finished, Dave turned to straddle the bench. Kurt turned as well and leaned back into him.

Dave wrapped his arms around Kurt and pressed his nose into the nape of Kurt's neck and breathed in deeply. "You always smell so good." He kissed him on the neck. "Six weeks. What do you think?"

"I like it here a lot. I like the instructors. I like the classes. Taking six classes is tough with still working, but it's doable. I feel like I'm neglecting you though. And even though I'm super excited that I got a part in the fall play, I'll be gone even more now."

"We knew this would be tough and we'd have conflicting schedules at some point. We've talked about it. And you don't need to worry about not taking care of all of us like you were last year. We all let you fall into the role of caretaker because you didn't have homework in the evenings like we did. But we're all grown men. We all appreciated your excellent cooking and when you did things for us just to help out. But we're fine. We all love you." He kissed Kurt's neck again. "Me most of all – so much. We will all survive eating Crock Pot dinners for the next four years if that's what happens. You shouldn't feel responsible for the rest of us. And I'm really excited to get to see you in a production again. I loved you as Linus in _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ in Toledo senior year. And you were great mouse in _The Nutcracker_."

Kurt nodded slightly and took a deep breath, the heaviness of his thoughts evident in him stiffening a bit, invisibly trying to hold himself together. "I still miss him, but sometimes I think I miss what could have been. Thanksgiving is coming up in six weeks. I've decided to stay here. You could go back to see your dad or invite him out. He hasn't been here to visit yet. He could stay in our guest room."

"That's an idea. I'll run it past him. What about your dad and Carole? And you'll miss seeing Melie and Alie."

"Melinda Aileen Hummel and Alison Marie Hummel. I know they're my sisters, but they're three months old. They won't miss me not being there. Dad and _Mom_ , as she wants me to call her now, need time to make new memories with them. I'm never going to live in Lima again. I'm not going to be a daily figure in their lives. I'm 20 years older than they are. Plus, taking the whole week off and paying for a plane ticket is just too much money."

"I get that. I guess I just assumed that we'd go since we didn't go last year – for the same reasons."

"I know. I think I still haven't adjusted to the idea that I even have two sisters. I just never gave any consideration to how old Carole was when she and my dad got married. It makes a lot of sense when I think about how quick she was to let Quinn move in with them when Finn thought the baby was his. She was just 18 when she had him."

"Yeah."

"She got pregnant last November, but didn't know it when my dad came to tell me about the cancer. She wasn't far enough along to be showing at Finn's funeral and they didn't even tell me then because with her being 38, they wanted to wait until she was 20 weeks along before telling anyone, which they finally got around to Memorial Day weekend."

"I get all of that. I just thought you'd want to see them."

"I figure there will be more mourning than feasting. Each new holiday reminds her of how things were with Finn. Maybe in time. Maybe I'll feel differently in the future." He sighed. "I actually hope I do feel differently in the future. I need to get going. I can't be late." He pulled his other foot over the bench so he was facing away from the table. He turned and kissed Dave on the lips. "I love you. I'll see you later at home."

Dave nodded. "I love you too."

* * *

Before they knew it, Kurt's play had come and gone and had been well-received. Burt came in for the day from DC to watch the Saturday afternoon matinee. Thanksgiving had come and gone, with Paul staying with them for three days. They had all survived finals and were looking forward to three weeks of winter break.

"There!" Kurt exclaimed, from the top of Dave's shoulders. "The star's up."

"It looks awesome," Sam said. "Let's start decorating it. I put the lasagna in. It should be ready to eat by the time we're done."

Kurt pulled out their stockings from the year before. He took Sam's painting down and handed it to him. He took it to store it in their study. Kurt hung the fabric covered steel rod from the one screw and slipped the stockings onto it, and then fastened the rod to the other screw. He tied the bows over the ends, covering the screws, like he had devised the year before. He stepped back and looked at them. Dave came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Kurt. "You're amazing. They look perfect."

Sam came up and jokingly teased Dave and pushed him out of the way and hugged Kurt. "You get a million times more hugs than we do. It's my turn." He hugged Kurt and let him go. "The stockings look great. I pulled the ornaments out."

Sebastian watched as they goofed around. Kurt saw him standing back a bit and reached out and pulled him into the fray. "I need a hug from you too."

"Fine." He let Kurt pull him in faux-begrudgingly and rolled his eyes.

"You know you love me."

"Maybe. Just a little bit."

"Mmm hmm," Kurt sassed back and kissed him on the cheek and jumped back out of his reach and grabbed an ornament to hang.

* * *

For spring break, Dave and Kurt made their first trip back to Lima since the funeral the year before. It was an unusual week to say the least. Kurt finally met his baby sisters, who at seven months old were starting to be entertaining. Kurt spent a few afternoons there helping out with them while Carole gave her regular helper a couple of days off. The two o them had dinner at the Hummel's Thursday and Friday when Burt was there.

They met Paul's new girlfriend, who turned out to actually be his fiancée, and his wife by the end of the week. They stayed in their room at the house, but it was definitely unusual sharing the space with Ramona as well. Her touches could be seen everywhere but their room. She was actually quite nice and not the least bit homophobic. By the wedding on Saturday, they were all getting along really well. That evening, Kurt and Dave headed back to New York and the newlyweds headed off to Florida for a week at the beach.

* * *

With Sebastian's AP classes from Dalton combined with the dual-credit courses he had taken his senior year, he had started off as a sophomore the year before. Kurt had opted to take classes to catch up over the summer, but he was still six credits short of junior standing as their third fall in New York approached. All four of them would be starting the more intensive work in their respective fields of study.

They would all be applying to get into the 5-year Master's programs in their respective majors by the end of the semester, so they were all working diligently to keep their grades up. Unfortunately for Kurt, that meant giving up Vogue for the year since working at the garage paid nearly three times an hour more. He said his goodbyes to Isabelle and everyone the week before school started again.

* * *

The Saturday evening after midterms, they planned a party for themselves. They each invited a couple of people they had made friends with over for pizza and games. By the end of the evening, they were all four feeling a lot more relaxed.

After everyone had left, Dave and Kurt showered and got in bed. Kurt curled into Dave's side and snuggled up tight. "Tonight was fun. We should try to do something like this once a month. We've all gotten too uptight. I know we all need to make top grades, but we also need to let loose occasionally. Not drunken orgies level of loose, but tonight was great."

"I agree. Drunken orgies aren't my thing. So help me God, if a drunk guy tried to… yeah, I'd end up in jail."

Kurt chuckled. "Same for me. I'm sure that orgies aren't my thing. It took me a really long time to get comfortable enough with you for you to even see me with my shirt off. I'm surprised you didn't give up on me I made you wait so long to get past first base."

"Nah. You're worth it. I've told you plenty of times, but I think you never quite understand. You're it. You're the one. My person. My everything. I was so head over heels for you, I couldn't think straight in your presence."

"I would think not," Kurt teased. "There's really nothing straight to think about me."

"Smartass."

"You love my ass."

"Also true. But I love you. Sebastian and Sam are both good-looking, but I've never had the tiniest bit of interest in them. I did actually check out Sam's ass to see how it made me feel to think of him that way. It's a nice ass," he chuckled. "But nope. Nothing, Nada." He ran his hand down Kurt's arm to his wrist and then let it is slip down until he had it firmly pressed again Kurt's upper thigh. "You kneeing me in the groin and lying to Coach Beiste was the best terrible thing."

"I'm sorry I hurt you, but I'm not sorry you stopped. You needed to figure yourself out, not kiss me against my will."

"Yeah, I know. I just had to be my real self. I was stupid teenager."

"And now we're such wise barely-not-teenagers."

Dave rolled his eyes.

"I hear you rolling your eyes."

"Of course you do."

"Mmm hmm. Poor Sam."

"What's wrong with Sam? He seemed fine."

Kurt laughed. "Nothing happened. I was just thinking how such a nice guy got himself into having such a smartass for a boyfriend and two smartasses for best friends."

"I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that it's your fault. He was your friend first. You lured him in."

Kurt laughed. "You egg Sebastian on until he argues with me over something dumb and you get off on watching me bitch at him, and then Sam steps in between us and kisses Sebastian and you pull me down to our room and push me against the door until I bitch at you about letting me go."

"I'm pretty sure that Sam gets laid out of the whole deal, so I think he's fine with the smartassiness."

Kurt burst out laughing. "You're right. I'm sure you're right. I mean I've never paid attention to what they're doing because we're down here with me… Well, I'm pretty sure you know what I'm doing."

"Mmm hmm. Sounds like a perfect idea."

"Is that what you want? You know I'm terrible at denying you what you want."

"I think you have that mixed up a bit. You're fantastic at giving me what I want."

"You want to argue first or just get right to it?"

Dave laughed and pulled Kurt on top of him.

* * *

Their apartment was bustling as they all grouped up in various ways for photos in their robes before they left for graduation. Paul and Ramona, along with the Hummel and the Evans clans were there. They had agreed ahead of time to keep the bedroom doors locked so that the kids couldn't see the lack of separate beds, plus keeping the twins, who would be four in August, out of the rooms. They all agreed that while Stevie and Stacey could see them, they could keep their interactions platonic for a couple of hours, despite the fact that both couples had been married for quite some time. For one day, they all slipped their Hunter College class rings on in place of their wedding rings.

Five years in New York City together had culminated in the four of them earning their Master's degrees.

David Allen Hummel-Karofsky, Bachelor of Arts – Psychology

Samuel Robert Evans-Larose, Master of Fine Arts – Studio Art

Kurt Eli Hummel-Karofsky, Master of Fine Arts – Theatre

Sébastien Alexandre Evans-Larose, Master of Arts – Urban Policy and Leadership

* * *

After the ceremony, the 14 of them went out for pizza. While they were waiting the conversation turned to their plans for the future.

"So, what's next for you four? Burt asked.

Dave answered first. "I got a scholarship to work on a doctorate at NYU. Once I finish that, I can start working and seeing patients."

Paul patted him on the back and smiled proudly.

"Good, good," Burt said.

Sam said, "I've been working part time for an off-Broadway theater doing stage construction and scenery work. I'm going to keep doing that while I begin to work on more pieces to have for an exhibition this summer. The nice thing about is the job is that it's the kind of job you do and leave behind. I'll be getting to use my creativity and all of the skills I've learned in art school, but I'll still have time to branch out and do my own work. If I can start to sell pieces and do commissions, hopefully, I'll be making a decent living in a year or so. It takes time to build up an art business."

Paul said, "That makes sense."

"I've already gotten a position at a grassroots social services organization. I'll be starting the beginning of June. I'm hoping to lead them into being more effective in their work. The pay isn't great, but it's a start. It's what I really want to do, so I'm excited."

Burt nodded. "Doing what you think will make a difference is important. I know we struggled to keep things together with Carole having the twins in Lima while I traveled back and forth. I didn't run for Congress again, but I ran for school board and honestly that's been really rewarding. Working in Congress is important, but I found I was able to make a lot more sweeping changes at the local level."

"I'm going to start audition in earnest. Hopefully, I'll get a role in something, but until then, I'm still working at the shop I've been working in for nearly five years. I like the guys there and the pay is good. With how long I've been there, there's room for the flexibility I need to be able to audition."

"Well, you've all done well for yourselves," Burt said. "I know we're all proud of all of you."

Their pizzas were brought out and the conversation broke back into smaller groups.

* * *

After everyone left that evening, the four of them took one last photo together while wearing their original hoodies, holding their undergraduate and graduate tassels.

"We did it," Kurt said, pulling each of them into a hug.

* * *

Later that night, Kurt and Dave were curled up in bed the way they were most comfortable, with Kurt's head on Dave's shoulder and chest and their legs intertwined.

"Three more years of school," Kurt teased. "I'm so proud of you. A scholarship to NYU. You kept it a secret until today." He kissed Dave. "I never realized how much time I spend touching you until I couldn't today. It's been a very long day. I do not approve of the hands-of David day ever again."

"I didn't like the hands-off-me day either. I'm obviously very fond of your hands on me. You're very tactile and I think it just built slowly to the point where it's just second nature for you to have your hand on me somewhere if I'm within your reach."

"Which should be all the time, but I can't be that selfish," he ran his fingers along Dave's chest.

Dave laughed. "Well, I have a surprise for you."

"What?"

"Well, before my dad and Ramona left, he slipped an envelope into my hand. As our graduation and belated wedding gift, we're going to the place they went in the Florida Keys for a week. And your parents paid for plane tickets for us."

"No way!"

"Yes. A honeymoon."

"I want to go of course, but I feel bad for Sebastian and Sam."

"Oh, by us I meant all four of us. Not the same room of course," he laughed. "Just no."

Kurt laughed too. "I love them, but not like that. When are we going to tell them?"

"Over breakfast tomorrow. We're going week after next. Hopefully that will give Sam time to get someone to cover for him or enough time to work extra next week to cover the time he'll be gone."

Kurt pushed up and wrapped his hand behind Dave's head, pulling him closer. He ran his fingers through his hair and kissed him. "I love you. I can't wait to spend a week in Florida with you. A whole week. We need to start packing tomorrow."

Dave chuckled. "I love you too. More kissing, less talk of packing." He kissed Kurt again.

"You're right. Kissing is more important."


	4. Day 7 - Wedding

**May 2015**

Kurt finished straightening up the sleeves on his shirts from moving them around in his wardrobe after moving his heavy winter clothes to the storage boxes for the summer. The last of the chilly weather had blown out a few weeks before, but end-of-semester projects and finals had stalled his seasonal clothing swap.

They were heading into their fourth summer in New York City. He felt like it had been both forever and just a brief period since they had arrived after high school. They all had two more years of college to finish to get their Master's degrees. He pushed the thought of school out of his mind and refocused on the task at hand.

When he finished, he leaned out into the hall and called out, "David?"

"Yeah?" he answered from their office.

"Can you come down to the bedroom?"

"Sure. Be right there." He left the book he was reading open on the desk.

When he got to their room, the door was slightly ajar, which made Dave push it open cautiously. He saw Kurt standing in front of the wardrobe, to the right of their bed.

"Can you sit down?"

"Yeah, sure." Dave sat on Kurt's side of the bed.

Kurt sat down next to him and took his hand. "I love you with everything I am. Will you marry me?"

Dave turned and wrapped his arms around Kurt, tackling him sideways down onto the bed. He laughed and kissed Kurt passionately. "Yes," he said when they pulled apart to catch their breath. "Yes. Yes. Yes." He accentuated each yes with a kiss. "I love you."

Kurt tried to keep his composure, despite Dave's excited response. "I'm proposing that we get married in August between the end of the second summer session and the start of the fall semester. I'll ask off from the shop today if you're okay with the date."

"It's perfect. Whatever day you pick."

"I was thinking that by then Melie and Alie will be two and may be able to handle flying here. If not, maybe Mom and Dad can just get her helper to stay the whole day and they can just fly in and back out. I don't know. Or we can just go get married wherever the office is that does it."

"We can do whatever. As long as I get to be your husband, I'm good with whatever."

"You're so easy," Kurt teased.

"Only for you." He kissed Kurt again. "Only for you."

"I didn't get an engagement ring since I want us to get married in a couple of months. I thought we could go out and pick out rings together."

"I like that idea."

"You like all my ideas."

Dave pretended to think. "Yep, pretty much."

Kurt rolled him onto his back and pinned him to the bed. "Take your shirt off."

Dave pushed up and pulled it off.

"I hope you're not in a hurry to go anywhere. I have plans for you."

"I don't have any plans, except to read that book I was reading before I came down here."

"Good." He leaned down and kissed Dave before he hopped up and locked their door. He turned back around. "Why are you still dressed?" He raised his eyebrow.

* * *

The same morning, Sam and Sebastian went out on their morning run. When they finished their cool down, they stopped and sat on a bench and enjoyed the breeze and the people watching.

Sam reached out and took Sebastian's hand, something that Sebastian had become accustomed to and found that he enjoyed. Over the years, he had teased Sam quite a bit for turning him into a softie.

"Whatever it is, the answer is yes."

Sam turned to look at him with his eyes narrow and his brow furled. "You should really listen to the question this time."

"You don't have to try to persuade me. I'm just going to say yes anyway. You know I always say yes. You just look at me and I say yes. That's how I gave up my playboy lifestyle, the one I thought I'd want forever. New guys, excitement… And then I pulled you out on the dance floor. And well, I never had a chance. You're just so damn gorgeous and sweet."

"Will you marry me?"

"Yes."

"Did you actually listen to the question?"

"I did. You want to get married and I agreed to your proposal. I will marry you." He leaned in and kissed him quickly, both of them still a little too hot to consider hugging.

"So, how about at the end of the summer? I know you've already taken that volunteer position and you're working too. I thought if you ask off three months in advance that surely you could get a day or two off."

"I'm sure I can. How about we split one of those new smoothies we tried a couple of weeks ago."

"Sounds great." He stood up and stretched some more.

Sebastian didn't move, enjoying his view of Sam stretching.

"Will you stop ogling me and get up?"

"You like my ogling," Sebastian insisted.

"True, but I'm thirsty."

Sebastian got up. "Me too. Maybe not for the same thing though. Let's get the smoothie and go home and I'll let you take care of my problem in the shower we both need."

"A most excellent idea, Sebastian," Sam said in his best Dr. Watson impression.

"You dork."

"You love me."

"I do," Sebastian admitted freely. He started walking away from where Sam was still stretching. "Didn't you want that smoothie?"

Sam jogged a bit to catch up. "You just want me to–"

Sebastian took off running again. Sam smiled and chased after him.

* * *

When Sam and Sebastian got back to the apartment, Kurt and Dave were in the kitchen having a late breakfast. Sam and Kurt made eye contact and both nodded almost imperceptibly.

Dave didn't see, but he was practically glowing and couldn't keep their news to himself. "Kurt asked me to marry him."

Sebastian said, "From the look on your face you said yes, just like I did. Sam asked me too."

"Were you two in on this together?" Dave asked.

"Who us?" Kurt said, feigning ignorance.

"Right," Sebastian said. "You may look angelic, but we all know the real you. You're a plotter. You move things behind the scenes."

"Sam and I were talking, yes. So, we did work to have the two of you go out and the two of us to stay in, so we could ask you each privately. And we discussed the fact that we all have the same group of friends and that getting married near the same time would make the most sense so that people won't have to travel twice in a short time period."

Sebastian wrapped his arm around Sam's waist. "That all makes a lot of sense. I'm all for whatever works. I had never even considered getting married until I met Sam, so if you have some dream wedding ideas, I'm willing to listen. But first, we need a shower. I reek."

Kurt laughed. "Go on, then."

* * *

**August 2015**

Three months later, the four of them were sitting at their dining room eating their final breakfast before they'd be married men. Kurt kept looking at Dave and he'd break out in a huge smile. Sam kept winking at Sebastian, which made him roll his eyes, which in turn made Sam laugh.

They cleaned up after breakfast and remade their beds with clean linens and washed the others. Paul and Ramona would be spending the night, as well as Burt and Carole. The four of them were paying for Kurt and Dave and Sam and Sebastian to have a room at a nearby hotel with a Jacuzzi for the night.

Burt and Carole opted to leave Alie and Melie in Lima in the care of young woman who helped Carole a few afternoons a week. She had come over a few evenings instead to learn the girls' bedtime routine so it would go more smoothly. They wanted to be able to focus on Kurt and the weddings rather than focus on keeping the girls occupied and quiet since they were too young to be interested in what was going on.

* * *

Saturday afternoon, the four of them walked into the private room they had rented at their favorite Italian restaurant. The room had been designed to make it look like they were seated outside in a courtyard with stucco walls and windows around the room.

Sebastian's eyes grew wide and he began to cry. "Oh, my God, Paul. You brought my grandparents. It's been so long – three years."

"Sebastian, dear, I wish you had told us what you were doing," his grandma said as she pulled him into a hug. "We knew you were gay. That didn't matter to us."

"You never said anything," Sebastian said.

"I know, dear. That's on us. We're so sorry. We didn't know where you had gone. We contacted your father, of course, but he said you had run off and he didn't know where you were and since you were 18, he didn't have any legal leg to stand on to report you missing. We saved up money for three years to hire a lawyer to help us find you."

"You went to Paul."

"We did. The instant we told him what we wanted to do, he told us that you were here in New York and that you were getting married."

His grandpa broke into the conversation. "He told us to keep our money to buy plane tickets to come to your wedding."

Sebastian hugged his grandpa next. He was a little taken aback, but he patted Sebastian on the back.

"I don't know what got into your father's head to disown you like that. We didn't raise him that way. All I can think of is that he got involved in politics and it sided with the party that it was easier to win with."

His grandma said, "We're so happy for you."

Sam had been standing close by. Sebastian turned to him and took his hand.

"This is Sam Evans."

"Aren't you a handsome fellow?" Sebastian's grandma teased. "I'm Lorraine Smythe. It's nice to meet you."

"You too."

His grandpa reached out to shake his hand. "Alexander Smythe."

Sam nodded and shook his hand.

A few people were standing behind them, unable to get in the room.

"Let's step inside," Sam said.

Lorraine said, "We'll let you be for now. We'll go find our seats. We know you need to be where you belong for this to get started. "

"I'm really glad you're here."

"Me too, dear. Me too. We've missed you so much."

* * *

Although they had their ceremonies in the same room, on the same day, with the same guests, it was not a joint ceremony. The room was a somewhat narrow rectangle and the two ends of the room had been decorated differently. The decorations on the tables incorporated both color schemes. Both couples wanted brief ceremonies with individually written vows and nothing else.

Kurt and Dave went first.

"Dave, when we first met, you were hiding who you were. You were scared and living in fear. You did such a good job of pretending, no one knew you were hiding anything. We got the chance to get to know each other, outside the influence of the people around us. Actually, it was under the guidance of someone who's here today. She gave us the place and time to learn about ourselves and each other. We grew from two people not know each other grew to us becoming best friends, and then I fell in love with you and I asked you to be my boyfriend. The courage you had to be yourself cost you so much." A few tears trickled down Kurt's cheek. He reached up and wiped them quickly. "I wish that hadn't happened, but I was thrilled that you wanted to date me. That was four years ago. The best four years. I love you more now than I did then. I stand here proudly proclaiming that love for you and wanting to be your husband."

"I was grateful for the chance to let you see the real me, outside of everyone else's watchful glare. Without that safe space, this day would have remained a distance dream so unrealistic that it would have been pure fantasy. And I did lose loved ones, but I had known that their love was hollow. But I gained new family members who love both of us for who we are. I'm so happy to be standing here with you today. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you."

Their officiant had them repeat the vows after him and they exchanged rings.

"By the power invested in my by the State of New York, I declared you legally wed."

Everyone clapped.

They stepped towards each other and kissed. They sat at the center table with Sam, Sebastian, Paul, Ramona, Burt, Carole, and two seats had been quickly added for Lorraine and Alexander.

They ate a lovely Italian meal served buffet style. Once everyone had eaten, Sam and Sebastian moved to the opposite end of the room. The two of them had also written speeches for each other. Afterwards, the officiant went through their vows.

"Do you Samuel John Evans take Sébastien Alexandre Larose to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to honor and cherish, forsaking all others? Do you willingly pledge yourself to be his companion through life, supporting each other through the good and bad times?

"I do," Sam said.

"Do you Sébastien Alexandre Larose take Samuel John Evans to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to honor and cherish, forsaking all others? Do you willingly pledge yourself to be his companion through life, supporting each other through the good and bad times?

"I do," Sebastian said.

They exchanged rings. The officiant presented them to the group and they kissed. Everyone applauded. Sam pulled Sebastian into a hug.

After their ceremony, they moved the tables to make room for a small dance floor. They shared the floor, but remained far enough apart not to run into each other. They danced to a medley of love songs the four of them had recorded in a small studio. Once the song ended, other people joined them.

After a few more songs, each couple sat at separate small tables that had been placed where they had stood during their ceremonies. Their cakes were brought out and each couple sliced their cake and fed each other the first pieces.

The group of about 30 friends plus family members milled around and stopped by to talk to both couples and pick up slices of cake while music played and people danced. They had each designed a box to put on their tables for the cards people brought since they had asked people not to bring gifts.

After everyone had had a chance to talk to them, the two couples headed back out onto the dance floor for a few more dances.

* * *

**Honeymoons – Key West, Florida – May 2017**

"We have a Jacuzzi like we did on our wedding night in the hotel," Kurt said as they stepped into the hotel room.

"Dad said he got us a room with one. I was keeping it as a surprise."

Kurt waited for Dave to push the door shut and then he backed Dave up against the door. "Nice surprise." He kissed Dave thoroughly and ran his hands down Dave's chest, but right before he reached for the button on his shorts, he pulled his hands back and turned around. He grabbed his suitcase and pulled it towards the dresser.

"You tease."

"Do you want _me_ to undress you?" He winked at Dave.

"You're _so_ much better at it than I am."

"Is that so?"

"I'm certain."

"Go in the bathroom. Let's shower first, and then we'll try out the Jacuzzi."

Kurt followed him in.

* * *

Later that evening, they met up with Sam and Sebastian for a walk along the beach. They sat down in the sand just close enough to the water that it washed up onto their calves.

"It's so beautiful here," Kurt said. "I can hardly believe we're here.

They all sat in silence for a while. Kurt was the first to get back up. He started wandering a long the edge of where the surf was hitting, looking for shells. He picked up a couple that he liked and put them in his swim trunk pockets. Dave got up and followed him. He walked along side him through the shallow water.

"It feels surreal, but I love it."

Dave reached out and took Kurt's hand. "It's gorgeous, but not as beautiful as you." He squeezed Kurt's hand and interlaced their fingers. "I love you."

"I love you too, David. We've been together almost six years. And every day I'm glad about that. I wake up every morning next to you and I just feel so comfortable. I know that sounds boring, but it's not. It's perfect."

Sebastian and Sam came jogging up behind them.

Sam asked, "Are you two about ready to head to Duval Street? Sebastian and I are ready to go dancing."

Dave said, "You two can go on ahead. We'll catch up later. Just text one of us the name of the place you end up."

"You're sure?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah. "We're just going to walk along the beach for a while longer."

"Alright, then," Sam said. "We'll see you a little later."

After they had walked away, Kurt asked, "Do you not want to go to the club?"

"I don't mind going. It's just that we have clubs in New York. We don't have a beach like this. I just wanted to stay out until sunset. Did you want to go now?"

"No, I want to be with you. We've been working so hard just to get to this point. I know you're going back to school in the fall, but this is still a huge deal. We all deserve some rest and relaxation. I'm glad we're in a place where we can just be comfortable walking along holding hands while enjoying ourselves. We can dance right here on the beach." He stepped farther away from Dave without letting go of his hand. He stretched out his other arm and spun himself into Dave.

"I see," Dave laughed as he pretended to push Kurt away to spin him back out. "You make everything fun."

"Thank you," he said, impersonating Elvis. "Thank you very much."

Dave just laughed. "You're getting better at that one."

Kurt spun himself back into Dave and kissed him.

* * *

Three hours later and a single margarita and Kurt was using Dave more as a dance pole than a dance partner, not that Dave seemed to mind one bit. He played his part well, and moved his hands along a long Kurt's lithe form to the beat of the music. They were attracting quite a bit of attention. Kurt noticed the guys watching him and unlike in his younger years, he knew they were watching him.

He turned and ran his hands down Dave's chest and leaned in to speak directly in his ear. "I see them watching me, but only you get to touch."

Dave shivered a bit and let his hands slide down lower until he had pulled Kurt flush to him and he began to kiss down Kurt's neck. "How much longer are you going to tease me and torture the rest of these guys?"

"They should look for their own hot guy. I already found mine. And I'll take you back to our room any time you're ready to go." He licked along the edge of Dave's earlobe. "Just say when." Kurt pressed his lips to Dave's, effectively keeping him from answering until they had to part to catch their breath.

"You little minx. I want you to take me to our room now, _please_."

"Well, you did beg so nicely." Kurt kissed him and took him by the hand and led him out the door. Once they were on the sidewalk, Kurt texted Sam that they were calling it a night and that they'd see them the next day.

* * *

Over the course of the week, they alternated between spending time together as a group and spending time together as couples. The place they stayed offered free bike rentals, which they took advantage of during their whole stay. They planned all of their excursions together. One morning, they went out on one of the glass-bottomed boats that took them out to the coral reef where they went snorkeling. They rented two hydro-bikes at sunset one evening. They spent one afternoon exploring Dry Tortugas National Park. They spent one rainy day at the aquarium and the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum. Not all of their time was spent sightseeing, they also spent part of their days either relaxing at the beach or in the pool.

* * *

The four of them were lying out in a cabana alongside the pool at the end of the week eating breakfast and talking.

Kurt said, "It's so completely the opposite of the lives we've been living here. It's all 'slow down and enjoy life' and it's all about relaxation and I wonder what it would be like to live here. Obviously, the residents have to go to work and be on time and everything, but I wonder what it would be like to work a job encouraging people to relax. And when work is over to be able to relax. It's not like it's desolate here. There are still quite a few people in the amount of space here. But there are no skyscrapers. It just feels more open."

"I think it's probably like living in any other tourist town. The people who live here probably don't relax as much as it seems like they would. I think we all tend to start to ignore our environment once we get accustomed to it. They're probably a lot more wowed by taking a vacation to the mountains or to New York City because everything is different and catches their eye," Sebastian offered.

"Maybe." Kurt ate some more of his breakfast before he said anything else. "I do love New York, but I think now that I'm older and I can travel that I might find other places I love just as much or more. Growing up in Lima, I saw New York City as this Mecca of acceptance and place where I could be myself. I didn't do myself any favors by not using the internet to research things."

Sam asked, "Has living in New York disappointed you in some way?"

"Yes and no. I was young and idealistic and I found that while it was a much more tolerant place than Lima, it's still full of prejudice. The whole world is full of prejudice. I think that's disappointing to have to come to terms with. As a kid, I thought that everyone would grow up and one day realize that their bigotry was unfounded and they'd just become decent people, like all they needed to do was just realize the error of their ways and they'd stop acting terrible. But it's not true."

Sebastian said, "Yeah, I can see how you might have believed that. Your dad is a good guy. I didn't really grown up with the type of bigotry you faced in Lima, but I knew it on a more personal level, so I never expected bigoted teens to grow up and become decent adults. And in my dad's case, it actually seems to be the opposite. He wasn't raised by bigoted adults, but became one."

"He grew up in Lima," Kurt said. "So, adopting the local bigotry doesn't seem so out of place if you think about it."

"Yeah, I guess," Sebastian said. "It still makes me angry. He was never married to my mom and got out of supporting me in any way that he could, but he's an upright citizen and I'm a scourge on society because I married Sam, who is kind and caring and loving. It's all so illogical. But I don't really think about it very often anymore. We made lives for ourselves and created our own family in New York. I really like living there. But coming here has been really relaxing and no one has hassled us in any way here. I'd definitely consider coming back here again."

Sam said, "I'm excited to go parasailing tomorrow. I think it would be awesome to live here, but I'd have to figure out what to do to make enough money to enjoy the attractions."

They went back to eating. Once they finished, Kurt said, "Alright, one more time out to the beach to collect shells."

"How many more do you think we need?" Dave asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's just go find as many as we can. Sam and I will make the frame for the entryway mirror however wide we have enough shells to cover."

"Makes sense. I'm ready," Dave said. He stood up and leaned over to kiss Kurt.

"You're so easy," Sebastian teased.

"Like you have room to talk," Dave said. "Sam just looks at you and you say yes."

Sebastian shrugged, but couldn't hide his smile when he glanced over at Sam, who got up and pulled Sebastian to standing and into a hug.

"Let's go find more shells for the mirror."

"M'kay." Sebastain kissed him. "But no one can blame me when Kurt gets stopped by security in the airport for being a shell thief."

"I'm not putting them all in my carry-on," Kurt said. "We're going to divide them up between us."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Let's go. We have other plans for this afternoon."

"Like what?" Kurt asked.

"Private plans." Sebastian winked at Sam.

Kurt sassed back, "Is this filling your Bingo card of how many places you can blow each other in public without getting caught?"

Sam about choked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kurt said. "And yes, I love you both and we'll come bail you out of jail if you get caught, but don't get caught because I don't want to spend our parasailing money on your bail."

"Got it," Sebastian said. "Those shells?"

* * *

"That was AMAZING!" Sam said, as he practically launched himself at Kurt and spun him around when the four of them met up after their parasailing adventure.

"It really was, but put me down."

"Right." Sam put him down.

They started walking back towards the area where they could shower and redress.

Sebastian said, "It was so much more smooth than I had imagined it to be. The view was amazing. I took a bunch of pictures and about a minute of video. We can send it to your parents with our thank you email. This has been so much fun. Definitely the best graduation present for all of us."

"I'm glad we all got over ourselves about not spending any of our savings. Me especially," Kurt said. "This has been a fantastic week that we'll all remember forever. When we get home, I want everyone to download their sharable photos to discs and I'm going to make a big collage and hang it in the last empty space between the windows in the hallway."

They showered and changed quickly and met up outside. The Uber that Dave had arranged showed up on time and took them back to where they had left their bikes. They rode around exploring places they hadn't been yet, ate lunch, did a little souvenir shopping, and went back to their hotel to get ready to go to Mallory Square for one last sunset viewing before going on their Ghost and Mystery Tour.

* * *

The tour met up on Duval Street. The tour guide led them through various areas telling them mysterious and creepy stories from the past.

They were standing with the group while he told them the history of the house they were in the backyard of. Everyone was listening carefully. Sam squirmed and swatted behind him before scooting closer into Sebastian's side. He reached back again trying to brush whatever it was away and nudged Sebastian to move to the side a bit, which he did.

When their guide stopped talking, Sam turned to chastise Dave for poking him, only he and Kurt were standing at least five feet back from where he and Sebastian had been standing. He walked back to them. "Very funny," he said sarcastically.

"What?" Kurt looked genuinely confused.

Dave's face showed no evidence of guilt.

"One of you kept poking me while he was talking."

"Nope," Dave said. "We've been standing here the whole time. You two moved closer and we just stayed here."

Sam looked at Kurt.

He shook his head.

Sam could tell when Kurt was lying because they'd been friends for so long that he knew all of his tells, but this time he saw nothing indicating any dishonesty or trickery.

His eyes narrowed and he looked around. Sebastian stepped behind him and wrapped his arms around him and kissed him on the back of the neck. "If any more ghosts want to poke you, they'll have to get around me first."

"Let's just go look around," Dave suggested. "Maybe he has assistants in the group that stand around and poke random people just to increase the tension and add to the excitement."

"Maybe," Sam said. "But it's totally creepy if he doesn't."

* * *

After getting up to watch one last sunrise and spending the rest of their morning before brunch in their rooms enjoying their Jacuzzis a final time, they visited the Butterfly and Nature Conservatory until they had to leave to catch their flight back to New York.

They sat and looked through photos on their phones and the camera they took with them and talked about their favorite parts of their trip.

Sam showed Kurt his phone. "This one from this afternoon is really cool, with of the butterflies flying around you."

Kurt looked and smiled. "I never imagined seeing so many in one place. It was really cool." He showed Sam one of him when they were parasailing. "I got a decent one of you up in the air." He showed him.

"Ooh, that's a really good shot. I want that one for sure."

Kurt could see Sebastian moving photos to a file. "Are those for your BINGO game?" he teased.

"Yep. I would have never called it a BINGO game, but after Sam explained it, I know what you're referring to. Those photos won't mean anything to anyone else, so I'm moving them to keep them from being included in a group CD." He went back to what he was doing.

Dave showed Sebastian a photo. "This one of you near the reef came out really good."

Sebastian looked over. "That is really good. I think putting them all together is a fun idea. We all took pictures of each other, so we should have a really good selection." He saw Dave lean in to the camera, blocking anyone else from viewing it. "Umm hmm. It seems I'm not the only one with some non-group photos."

Dave blushed.

"I didn't think Kurt would pose for those types of photos."

"Not taken on a phone, I wouldn't. He took them with the camera, on a separate SD card, for his viewing pleasure only. It was our honeymoon and he liked the idea of some boudoir shots. I won't allow them to be printed, but he can look at them at home whenever he wants."

Sebastian nodded. "Make sense. Those kind of pictures getting leaked ruins lives and careers."

Kurt scrolled through his own phone again. "Aww. This was when we saw the baby rays." He held it up and turned it so the other three could see.

Sam said, "That was totally adorable."

Dave looked up. "It's been an amazing week here. I'm so glad we came. I just feel like we let five year of stress go in a week."

"Maybe we could come back again in a few years and celebrate our 5th anniversaries or in eight years and celebrate our 10th anniversaries," Kurt said.

"We totally should," Sam agreed. "We could fly into Miami next time and drive down and back and do things along the way. We could try out new places and still revisit some of the places we loved this time."

"Are we all still going to be living together eight years from now?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't see why not," Dave said. "It makes sense financially. Once we're all making decent salaries, we can save up. We could buy a small house together somewhere along the East Coast, a place we could go to together and separately. We could take cool weeklong vacations like this every year or every other year."

"That really does sound amazing," Kurt said. "It's been such a fantastically perfect week." He leaned into Dave, who turned to look at him and was surprised with a kiss. "I'd love for us to come back."


	5. Day 8-In Ten Years

**November 2020**

Dave woke up in the middle of the night to Kurt's crying. He scooted closer and held Kurt tight to his chest. "I'm here. I'm here." He kissed the back of Kurt's neck. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop Kurt's tears from flowing.

"I know. I love you. I'm sorry."

"You know there's no reason for you to be sorry."

"I'm just so sad. I don't know if I'll ever be okay again."

"I'm not sure that any of us will. All we can do is put one foot in front of the other some days."

"I just want to stay in bed."

"We can do that."

Kurt started talking too quickly for Dave to get a work in edgewise. "Melie and Alie aren't even going to remember him," Kurt cried harder. "I was a year older than they are when my mom died and I can barely remember her. And Carole's already lost a husband and raised a child by herself. It's just wrong. We could try to move them to our house in Connecticut. The girls could share a room. The house is paid for. Maybe Carole could do some kind of nursing over Zoom or whatever. She'll get Dad's life insurance. She and the girls could live on that for a long time without a house payment. It might be really hard to sell their place though. And the shop," Kurt began to cry so hard, he was close to hyperventilating. "I should have stayed in Lima and run the shop."

"Kurt, take a breath." Breathe with me. Dave began to lead him through breathing in a controlled way to help him calm down. "You're not making sense."

"Dad…"

"You've woken up from a nightmare." Dave rolled onto his back and turned the bedside light on. He turned back towards Kurt. "I'm sorry to hurt your eyes, but I need you to wake up all the way."

Kurt turned over and scooted closer.

"Your dad's fine. Look me in the eyes. He got a clean bill of health two weeks ago. He's been down at the shop. He FaceTimed you from the shop just this afternoon. Cassius was hassling him for 'pretending' he'd been sick just to get a vacation because he's doing so well. Carole's fine. Your sisters are fine. They think going to school online is fun."

Kurt's breath was ragged, but he was calming down. He wrapped himself around Dave and held on tight. "It was so real. God, I'm a wreck. I'm sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night."

"Will you please not apologize? I love you and you waking me up is not a big deal." He kissed Kurt. "Now I get more falling asleep kisses."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "You sound like Alie. I can't sleep yet. Read another book, Kurt."

"Mmm hmm. Kiss me more, Kurt," Dave teased.

"I've been kissing you for a little over nine years. Aren't you tired of me kissing you by now?"

"I see sassy Kurt has returned."

"Now, you're just saying things to rile me up. You know I'll give you whatever you want."

"After I beg for a bit."

"You like me to make you beg."

Dave laughed. "Maybe."

"Mmm hmm. Sure. We've been together nine years. There's no maybe about it." Kurt's tears had stopped. He wiped his eyes. His breathing was even again.

"Nine years of everything I ever wanted."

"You're such a sweetie. I love you so much. All my kisses are yours forever." He kissed Dave. "You can turn the light back off now. I'm fine."

* * *

Back nine months prior, when the quarantine began, they had been their own family for nearly eight years. They knew how each person dealt with stress and they worked to keep communication open when the stress of all of them being home all of the time began to get to them. It was a very different dynamic than it had been with Dave and Kurt being used to being home alone together during the daytime and Sam and Sebastian functionally being home alone together from late afternoon until late at night because Dave stayed in his room working on schoolwork while Kurt was at the theater every evening.

The four of them sat down and discussed the possibilities of ways to make enough money to stay in the apartment they still shared. They had enough savings between Kurt and Sebastian to stay for quite a while, but they brainstormed ideas in hopes of not having to spend it.

Kurt's run on Broadway that had won him a Tony the year before was just over, with no future return predicted. Sam's art sales would be likely to go flat with people reprioritizing their purchases and he immediately gave up his small studio where he spent his time during the day.

After a lot of discussions and planning, they decided to turn their office into a broadcasting studio. Sam painted one of the walls green, leaving the other three white to make the room as bright as possible. They arranged Kurt's sewing equipment and Sam's easel and art supplies in the corner of the room that got the most natural light so they could record more easily. They also bought a ring light and audio equipment.

Kurt and Sam began posting art and sewing lessons online. They also started giving private lessons online during the daytime.

Kurt began making masks and selling them on Etsy. Sam helped customize them.

Kurt and Sam used the green wall to set up storytelling with backgrounds. They sometimes managed to get Sebastian and Dave to join them. They quickly gained followers on YouTube. They managed to post a new half-hour video every week.

Dave had to finish his PhD work remotely and received his diploma in the mail. He was job hunting when jobs were disappearing. He was able to get a job with a group of therapists that were switching to online services the month after he graduated with his PhD. He built up a good number of clients in the six months he'd been doing it. He used their bedroom to begin his career as a psychologist, which he loved.

Sebastian struggled more to make a transition when the quarantine began. His job had him in the community all day. He was let go since no one could come up with any suitable way for the company to continue its work. By closing quickly and cutting their expenses, they hoped to be able to reopen quickly once it was safe, but in the meantime Sebastian was left without much to do.

It became clear that a lot of students just weren't able to get any help from adults to get through the sudden transition to online schooling. Sebastian started a Discord server to help kids and he managed to pull in a large group of adults he knew from his public sector work to help him.

All of the adults set their hours and covered the server questions 24/7. Over the summer, they ran book clubs and other special interest club meetings to try to help keep kids engaged in learning. Kurt and Sam helped, using the green screen scenes that Sam designed. Kurt added reading non-fiction books to his weekly schedule.

Over the summer, Dave began to use all of the technology to record math lessons from the books that were used in the NYC public schools.

When the semester started up again, they moved the club meetings to once a week or once every other week and steered the focus back to homework help. Sebastian didn't make any money, but he felt like he was still making a difference. Sam and Kurt continued to help him. They made a new YouTube channel and uploaded all of Dave's math tutorials. And he began to offer private math tutoring interspersed with his counseling sessions.

Sebastian was the last to offer private lessons, but he eventually began offering private French lessons.

They managed to make it all work. Dave's steady income kept everything from feeling so tense. They used the money that Sam, Sebastian, and Kurt made to keep from dipping into their savings to cover their expenses.

* * *

Sam's phone rang a 7:00pm on the dot. He had turned the volume up, hoping for a call, but the sound made him jump. "Hello?"

"Hi, Sam. I got your, well, Kurt's message in my birthday card."

"I'm glad you called. I was hoping you would."

"It's like a spy mission or something. You had Kurt write it all out in French. I told mom and dad it was just a French birthday song and I hid the card between my mattress and my box spring. I'll throw it out now that I set up the Discord app on my phone. Don't worry. I hid it in a file folder down three layers. They'll never find it and if they do, I'll tell them that it's something I have to use for school sometimes. What's with all the secrecy anyway? We hardly ever talk."

"There's a reason for that and I've been waiting to tell you ever since I moved out over winter break my senior year."

"That was a long time ago. So long ago that I don't honestly remember."

"You were 7."

"That would be why I don't really remember. If you were still in high school, why did you move out?"

"I was dating a guy and Mom and Dad found out over winter break that year. I was told that they still loved me no matter what, but that I needed to change my ways or I wouldn't be welcome around you and Stevie because of my bad moral example."

"You're kidding right? Wait, you're gay?"

"I'm bi."

"So, Sebastian? Is he your boyfriend?"

"Actually, he's my husband. We've been married for five years."

"I missed your wedding?" she asked, quite disappointed. "I've gotten a little old for the flower girl role I had hoped for when I was younger, but five years ago I could have still done it. I didn't even get to go. All because you married a guy?"

"Yeah. We've had controlled contact all of these years. That's why you've never had my cell number or my email address. Mom and Dad wouldn't let me give them to you. I only got to talk to you on Skype when they were in the room."

"That is so stupid. I can't catch being bi from a phone call. I mean, I can't catch being bi, period. But this is all so stupid. Does Stevie know?"

"Not yet. I waited until you turned 16. But please give him the same information."

"He's here, of course. We're all here. I'm going to disconnect the call and go get him to install Discord. I looked the app up. We can do a group voice chat. Mom and Dad aren't home right this minute. That's why I risked the voice chat. You know what? Never mind all that. I'll just go get him and he can be with me while we talk. We can stand by the front window and watch for them. Hold on." She knocked on Stevie's door. "Open up. Talk to Sammy with me."

"What?" Stevie said as he opened the door.

"Come on. We have to go to my room where we can see out the front."

He followed her. "What's going on? Sam never calls. He just moved out and abandoned us basically. We went to his graduation a few years ago and that was a cool trip to New York, but he still only ever talks to us when Mom and Dad call him and make him."

Sam started to cry. "No, Stevie, no. It's not like that at all. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. I'm so sorry that your senior year is not at all what you wanted. And Stacey's sophomore year. Everything's such a mess."

"Mom and Dad wouldn't let him be around us after they found out he had a boyfriend his senior year. He moved out because our parents are bigots. They kept him away from us so we couldn't be influenced by him being bisexual."

"That's the stupidest thing I've heard in a while. I didn't think they were prejudiced."

"Outwardly, they aren't."

"Outwardly, inwardly. Whatever, but they kept me from knowing you. You were my hero, Sam. When things were bad and we had to live in the hotel, you kept everything okay. You made me feel like it was an adventure. I didn't realize until I was older what had gone on, but you and Kurt made it fun. Kurt's gay. Why did Mom and Dad let him be around us?"

"We never talked about it and you didn't know he was gay then."

"Why didn't you marry Kurt?" Stacey asked.

"Kurt was already in love with Dave by the time I came out. He's my best friend and we live together, so I see him every day. And basically like all the time now that no one can go to work. And I love Sebastian."

Stevie said, "So you've been seeing the same guy since before you moved out?"

"Yep. Nine years."

Stacey interrupted. "They got married five years ago and we didn't get to go."

"That's just wrong. Why are you talking to us now?"

"Stacey turned 16. They never gave me an age when I could tell you, but at 16 she's old enough to know about sexuality and legally she's old enough to have sex, but she shouldn't yet."

"I'm not. Plus, I can't even go out. I don't even have a boyfriend."

Sam chuckled, "That's good."

"Whatever," she sassed back.

"Wait until you're a senior or until you move out. Sophomore and junior boys aren't mature enough to be a good partners and it just sets you up for heartbreak. If there's someone you really like, be friends with him and stay just friends until you're 18 or close to it. Seriously, your mental health will thank you for it later."

"You're such a dork," Stevie said.

"That's true, but I own my dorkiness. And I'm right about the boyfriend. I don't think anyone I went to high school is still with the person they dated as a sophomore."

"It's not like I can any time soon anyway, but I'll think about what you said. Does Sebastian have brothers and sisters? I can't believe I have a brother-in-law."

"Sebastian is an only child. His mom died when he was young."

"Like Kurt."

"Yes. His grandparents raised him until they died right before he turned 17. He grew up in France. He had to go Ohio when they died because that's where his dad lived. His dad is incredibly homophobic and the day Sebastian turned 18, he left. He came here with us to New York to finish high school."

"Some people suck so bad," Stacey practically yelled. "So, he's like an orphan because he's gay? Bi?"

"Sebastian is gay. He's in contact with his grandparents in Ohio now. He wasn't for a while, but he is now."

Stevie said, "That's why he didn't have anyone there for graduation. I thought maybe they just couldn't make the trip."

"His grandparents came for the wedding, but not for graduation."

They spent the remaining 20 minutes of their call catching up more before Dwight and Mary returned.

"I'm so glad you got Kurt to write the note in my card," Stacey said. "I'll give Stevie your Discord info. We'll talk again in a few minutes after he downloads it."

* * *

"What are you two doing chatting on your phones so much?" Mary asked. "You have homework to do."

"We are doing homework," Stacey insisted. "This is an online tutoring thing. There are different rooms for different subjects and there are people in each room that help answer questions. There are YouTube channels the people made too. They do online lessons for free and you can sign up for personal tutoring for a fee. It's actually really cool."

"Oh. All that technology stuff is just over my head. But if it's for school, then that's fine. You know I can't help you with whatever it is. If someone is helping you for free, that's great."

Stacey nodded and smiled, knowing that it was Sebastian who was helping her with her French. They had gotten to know each other over the two weeks that she and Stevie had been in contact with Sam. Dave had been helping them with their math and she had been watching Sam's and Kurt's YouTube channels and learning to sew and paint when her parents weren't home.

Stevie just looked the other way so Mary couldn't see him roll his eyes. He went back to watching one of Dave's math videos. He paused it a few seconds later. "Yeah, my math grade has gone up in just two weeks since Stacey showed this to me."

"That's good news. Keep working at it. Maybe you can get it up to a B by the end of the semester."

* * *

"Kurt, look at my drawing," Alie said putting it in front of the computer.

"Alie! I was talking to Kurt. Move your picture. It's not your turn yet. I have three minutes left," Melie insisted as she put her hand over the camera so that Kurt couldn't see Alie's picture. "For interrupting, I get an extra minute."

Burt came in the room. "What are you two fussing about?"

"It's my turn to talk to Kurt and Alie's interrupting."

"Alie, come on. It will be your turn soon." He took her in the kitchen and got her a snack.

"It's just so boring, Daddy. I want to go somewhere. All I look forward to is my turn to talk to Kurt and Dave and Uncle Sebastian and Uncle Sam."

"I know, honey. Doctors and scientists are working really hard to come up with a way to get rid of the virus."

"They should try harder." She put her head down on the island countertop. "It's so boring to do everything online. School is okay. But I want to play with someone."

"You play with Melie all the time. And you use Zoom to talk to your friends."

"I know, but I want to touch them, not just look at them on the screen. And now Kurt and Dave aren't even going to come for Thanksgiving." She started to cry.

Carole came when she heard crying. She picked her up, even though she was a little big for it. "Come on, honey. I'll sit with you while you have your snack. I know this is hard. We're doing the best we can and it's okay to cry because you're sad." She sat her back down and pulled a stool closer and sat next to her.

Melie came in. "It's your turn." She saw Alie crying. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry. I just still wanted to talk to him."

She's not crying because of whatever happened. She's just tired of staying home and not getting to play with your friends from school.

"Oh, me too. Kurt's waiting for you though."

"Okay." She slipped down off the stool and ran off to the living room and sat on the floor in front of the coffee table to talk to him.

"Alie, honey. Are you okay? You're crying."

"I'm just sad. I miss going places." She picked her picture back up and showed him. "I watched Uncle Sam's painting lesson like ten times to get it right."

"It's beautiful, Alie. He'll be really excited to see it when you talk to him tomorrow. I'll keep it a secret so you can surprise him."

She smiled and began to tell Kurt about her day with a smile on her face.

* * *

Kurt went down to change before sitting down to eat. He knew it was silly, but it made him feel better anyway. He always loved dressing up for holidays and why should a pandemic stop him from enjoying something he could do. Once he was dressed, he went out in the hall and down to the entryway and looked at himself in the oversized, full-length mirror. He looked at himself and turned a bit to see the back. He was satisfied with his choice.

Before he walked away, he walked up to the mirror itself and ran his hand along the shells that adorned the custom frame that he and Sam had worked on together. They had used tools from the set Sam had been working on and whittled and carved places for each shell into the wood before they painted it sand colored and then used textured spray paint on it to make it look like it was covered in sand.

He thought back to the hours they had worked on it. It was worth it because every time he stopped to look in the mirror for the last three years, he remembered how much fun they had had in Key West together. He walked down the hall and past the large collage he had made during all of the days he was home alone before he had finally gotten a role.

When the pandemic closed the theaters, he made another one that spanned their entire friendship. He had finished it to make it practically indestructible and hung it in the kitchen where they could all enjoy remembering the good times while they cooked.

The other three had gotten all of the food on the table while he had been gone. It wasn't a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but they had each made their favorite side dish to go with the turkey breast, rolls, and pumpkin pie. He joined the other three at the table. While they were passing the bowls around, each of them shared what they were thankful for.

"I'll go first," Kurt said. "I'm glad that my dad recovered from the virus. I was really scared he wouldn't make it, but he did."

Sam said, "I'm grateful for technology, which sounds kind of weird, but I've been talking to Stevie and Stacey for the last few weeks and I'm really glad. I also Skyped with the four of them earlier this morning."

"I agree about the technology," Sebastian said. "Without it, I'd be really bored without a job. But we're making a difference in kids' lives with the Discord channel and the YouTube videos in a way that would't have been possible even five years ago."

"I agree about the technology," Dave added. "And as strange as it sounds, the virus has actually caused a lot of businesses to rethink their work models. My office is going to let us continue to provide therapy from home even once the virus has been gotten under control somehow. I think it will help a lot of people to be able to get help from their own home rather than have to venture out to an unknown place and sit in an office to talk to someone. It also gives the provider the option of offering sessions any time of day, which wasn't possible in the office setting."

Sebastian spoke up again. "You know I'm always the most thankful for the three of you. Kurt and Dave are true brothers and I have a family that loves me. I know I get sappy once a year, but it's really amazing. And I love all of you."

Kurt's laptop began to ring with an incoming Discord video call. Kurt reached over and accepted the call from his family. Just a few seconds later, Paul, Ramona, Lorraine, and Alexander called in on Dave's laptop. They spent the next hour enjoying their high-tech Thanksgiving meal together as one big family.

* * *

Kurt cuddled into Dave's side. "It's been ten years since we started our journey to friendship and beyond." He did his best to imitate Buzz Lightyear.

"You spend too much time with Sam," Dave teased.

"That may be true, but we're all here together and I've really gotten used to it now. Once we can go out, I'll miss how much time spend together now."

"I know. I will too, even though I don't spend as much time with the two of them as you do."

"That's because you're down here making the big bucks, keeping a roof over our heads. You know how much that means to me right?" Kurt scooted up and kissed him.

"I'm doing what I wanted to do. I have you here and I have my two best friends here. A lot of things are really bad. I listen to people all day whose lives are really messed up. But we've got each other and our families are helping each other in Lima. Things are amazingly awesome, as Sam is still fond of saying. We can just hope that the new vaccine that's being touted in the news actually works to help get this under control."

"Hope and love. We have lots of love."

Dave kissed Kurt. "That we do. I love you so much."

Kurt pulled the comforter up tighter and nuzzled into Dave's neck. "I love you too."


End file.
